The New Orleans Pelicans are loading up.
A staff with three go-to guys has reportedly added a fourth, buying and selling two gamers and two picks for Dejounte Murray, a former All-Star who may assist the Pels on each ends of the ground.
The Atlanta Hawks, after all, are pulling the plug on the backcourt duo of Murray and Trae Younger after two disappointing seasons by which they gained simply two playoff video games.
Listed here are some numbers to know concerning the 27-year-old guard as he returns to the Western Convention with 4 extra years on his present contract …
In unique firm, profession 12 months
1. Murray is one among solely three certified gamers — Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic are the others — to have averaged not less than 20 factors, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in every of the final three seasons.
2. This previous season, Murray registered career-high marks in factors per recreation (22.5), efficient area aim proportion (52.8%) and true taking pictures proportion (55.5%). The latter nonetheless ranked simply thirty eighth amongst 48 gamers with a utilization fee of 25% or increased.
A disruptive defender
3. Murray has averaged 1.6 steals over the past 5 seasons, fourth-most amongst 203 gamers who’ve performed not less than 250 whole video games over that stretch.
4. This previous season, he ranked seventh with 3.0 deflections per recreation, although that was down from 3.1 (eleventh) in 2022-23 and 4.0 (first) in ’21-22.
5. Opponents shot 50.7% on pictures Murray defended this previous season, in comparison with an anticipated mark of 47.1% on these pictures. That differential (+3.6%) was the 14th worst mark amongst 225 gamers who defended not less than 500 pictures, in response to Second Spectrum monitoring.
Grasp of the mid-range
6. Murray’s 2-point proportion has risen each season he’s been within the league, from 44.1% as a rookie to 51.8% this previous season.
7. He’s one among 4 gamers — Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid are the others — who’ve shot 45% or higher on not less than 250 mid-range makes an attempt in every of the final two seasons.
8. This previous season, he shot 192-for-372 (51.6%) on pull-up 2-pointers, the fourth-best mark amongst 45 gamers with not less than 200 makes an attempt.
9. He took 18% of his pictures from mid-range, down from 27% in 2022-23 and his lowest fee since his rookie season (when he performed simply 321 whole minutes). The share of his pictures from 3-point vary (37.9%) was a career-high mark by a large margin.
Prolific within the clutch
10. Murray is one among eight gamers who’ve scored not less than 100 clutch factors in every of the final two seasons.
11. This previous season, he was tied for second with eight buckets (on 16 makes an attempt) to tie or take the lead within the remaining minute of the fourth quarter or extra time. He was simply 1-for-4 on these pictures in 2022-23.
12. However he shot higher within the clutch from 2-point vary, 3-point vary and the free-throw line ’22-23 than he did in ’23-24.
Dejounte Murray clutch taking pictures, final three seasons
Season | 2PM | 2PA | 2P% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021-2022 | 32 | 67 | 47.8% | 3 | 14 | 21.4% | 21 | 31 | 67.7% |
2022-2023 | 35 | 73 | 47.9% | 6 | 19 | 31.6% | 26 | 32 | 81.3% |
2023-2024 | 32 | 75 | 42.7% | 8 | 28 | 28.6% | 18 | 28 | 64.3% |
TOTAL | 99 | 215 | 46.0% | 17 | 61 | 27.9% | 65 | 91 | 71.4% |
Clutch = Rating inside 5 factors within the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter or extra time
The entire was not higher than the sum of the components
13. Over their two seasons collectively, the Hawks had been outscored by 2.5 factors per 100 possessions in 2,779 whole regular-season minutes with Murray and Younger on the ground collectively. However they had been a plus-0.6 per 100 in 4,401 minutes with one on the ground with out the opposite.
14. That differential was a lot greater this previous season when the Hawks had been outscored by 6.5 factors per 100 possessions in 1,172 minutes with Murray and Younger on the ground collectively. That was the worst mark among the many staff’s 26 two-man mixtures that shared the ground for not less than 500 minutes.
15. The distinction this previous season was about even on offense (3.9 factors per 100 possessions higher with solely one of many two on the ground) and protection (4.0 higher).
* * *
John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You may e-mail him right here, discover his archive right here and observe him on X.
The views on this web page don’t essentially mirror the views of the NBA, its golf equipment or Warner Bros. Discovery.