Facing the Wizards, especially twice in a row, is good. The Pelicans can attest to this: for the first time since the opening of the season, they have won two consecutive games. And after the 50 points posted by CJ McCollum in the first round, Dejounte Murray distinguished himself in his turn in the second.
In 36 minutes, the Pelicans playmaker compiled 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. In other words, his first triple-double since leaving the Hawks this summer to join the Pelicans. His performance is the start of a ray of sunshine at the heart of an overall difficult season for him.
His best level? “ He's getting closer, slowly but surely. When you're on the sidelines for so long, new teammates, new environment… It takes time to adjust. He would have been further along without this injury. But once he got injured, it prevented him from following his usual program, his routine, his rhythm with the team. He's starting to get there now “, notes his coach Willie Green.
More blunders
He does well to remember that his main summer recruit was not varnished when he arrived. The former Spurs All-Star broke his hand in the first game of the season. Result: more than a month on the sidelines. And to make matters worse, the extra-sporting context may have played a role in his performances. Before the season, Dejounte Murray took time away from the team to care for her mother, who suffered a stroke, from which she has since recovered.
Since his return to the court, he has darkened the stats sheets, but still struggles to find address and take care of the ball. Against the Wizards, he finished with a modest 5/14 on shots – only 36.5% on the year – and still lost 4 balls, his average this season and also his worst in his career.
“ He makes solid choices for us and he will continue to build on that. We were together all summer, at training camp, so we saw what he was capable of night after night. It was just a matter of him being comfortable enough to know where his teammates are, to make the right choice, the right pass. And then he had a hand injury, so that's always going to disrupt the way you bounce the ball, how you feel the ball in your hand. », nuance Willie Green.
The coach notes, however, that his 28-year-old is heading in the right direction. Which is no small thing for a team, decimated by injuries, which is languishing in last place in the Western Conference (7 wins – 29 losses).
| Dejounte Murray | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | SAN | 38 | 9 | 43.1 | 39.1 | 70.0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 3.4 |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 81 | 22 | 44.3 | 26.5 | 70.9 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 8.1 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 66 | 26 | 46.2 | 36.9 | 79.8 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 10.9 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 67 | 32 | 45.3 | 31.7 | 79.1 | 0.9 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 15.7 |
| 2021-22 | SAN | 68 | 35 | 46.2 | 32.7 | 79.4 | 1.2 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 21.1 |
| 2022-23 | ATL | 74 | 36 | 46.4 | 34.4 | 83.2 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 20.5 |
| 2023-24 | ATL | 78 | 36 | 45.9 | 36.3 | 79.4 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 22.5 |
| 2024-25 | NOP | 19 | 34 | 36.5 | 24.7 | 83.6 | 0.5 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 15.4 |
| Total | 491 | 29 | 45.4 | 33.9 | 78.9 | 0.9 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 15.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
