Dejounte Murray Sets Lofty Goal for Pelicans After Solid Debut

Dejounte Murray’s season debut proved beneficial for himself and the New Orleans Pelicans. The former first-round pick scored the game’s opening basket and had a key layup with about a minute left to ice the game for New Orleans. Murray played in his first game since January 31, 2025, when he ruptured his Achilles tendon against the Boston Celtics. He finished the game with 13 points and 3 assists in 25 minutes.

After the game, Murray spoke to reporters postgame about his feelings on returning to the court for the first time in 13 months. “It was great, but the win matters, though. Like I’m hungry, I want the fans to know I’m hungry”, Murray said candidly. He continued, “I’m not suiting up for me. I’m suiting up for this organization, my brothers, and the fans.”

That confidence has been missing this season, as losses have piled on and the team’s confidence has seemingly broken early in the year. The Seattle native not only backed his confidence up with an impressive debut, but he also doubled down on team expectations for the rest of the season.

Duh!!! Are we a contender? No. Can we reach top 6 spot? No. Can we build some momentum playing together and build winning habits rest of the season? Yes. Can we treat every game like a championship game and win win win? Yes. Can we get in them last spots in the play in??? Duhhhhh https://t.co/NZ9tfYgrwD
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) February 25, 2026

Dejounte Murray Shows Confidence & Leadership After Pelicans' Return

Murray took to social media on Wednesday to respond to a fan who asked if the Pelicans could make a playoff push with 23 games remaining. Murray confidently replied that there’s a chance New Orleans could make the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference. “Can we treat every game like a championship game and win win win? Yes. Can we get in them last spots in the play in??? Duhhhh.”

The Pelicans have a daunting task ahead to make the West's Play-In Tournament. They are currently 17-42 on the year and are 11 games behind in the loss column from the Los Angeles Clippers, who are currently sitting at No. 10 in the standings. Seeds 7-10 qualify for the tournament to determine the final two playoff spots.

Despite the Pelicans winning their last two games, they have too much ground to cover to realistically have a chance of making the postseason. New Orleans' remaining strength of schedule is the eighth-easiest in the league, with its remaining opponents having a combined .490 winning percentage, per Tankathon.com. But the team has a brutal stretch in March when they play the Los Angeles Clippers twice, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets, the Detroit Pistons, and the Toronto Raptors, all in succession. Most of those are road games, where the Pelicans have won only six this season away from the Smoothie King Center.

Still, Murray’s approach to the latter part of this season is refreshing, as that type of energy tends to be infectious throughout the locker room. The former All-Star was involved in trade rumors ahead of the deadline, with many thinking the Pelicans would move on from Murray after just a year and a half in a New Orleans uniform. Murray is set to make $32 million next season and has a player option for the 2027-2028 season, so it seemed unclear how he would fit into the team’s future timeline.

He returned to social media to dispel rumors about a trade request and to clarify his feelings about playing in New Orleans.

"We do like each other. There are no egos, nobody pouting. You had young guys starting, they went to the bench and took it like they should... That speaks volumes of maturity and what they're in for"

-- Dejounte Murray on team communication pic.twitter.com/xxCA1drrm0
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) February 25, 2026

His return on Tuesday pushed rookie sensation Derik Queen to the bench, and it will be interesting to see interim head coach James Borrego’s rotations moving forward. Sharpsooting forward Trey Murphy III remains out with a shoulder injury, but is close to returning to the court. Someone will be bumped out of the starting lineup upon his return, so a little lineup experimentation will be of keen interest to fans for the rest of the year. Regardless of the lineup carousel, Murray figures to be in the mix to showcase his skill and leadership qualities for this final stretch of games.