Pelicans' Remarks Raise Dejounte Murray Expectations Upon His Return

James Borrego and Saddiq Bey's latest statements suggest Dejounte Murray could play at a higher level than expected.

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The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to get Dejounte Murray back before March. Head coach James Borrego teased that Murray will return to action next week, putting an end to a 13-month recovery process following an Achilles rupture.

While Murray is not going to change the Pelicans' fortunes this season, having another competent veteran, especially in the backcourt, will do wonders for New Orleans. In the final 26 games of the season, the Pelicans are unlikely to climb up much in the Western Conference standings, but they can build momentum and team chemistry for next season. Murray could also help mentor the young Pelicans while simultaneously helping his own trade value ahead of the offseason.

Pelicans fans know that it may take a while for Murray to play himself into shape. Yet, their expectations have been raised by the latest statements from James Borrego and Saddiq Bey. Pelicans Film Room on X shared what Borrego expects from Murray. The interim head coach said that he has been very encouraged by what he has seen from the veteran guard in terms of his "leadership, poise, voice, mentality, and competitive spirit," before adding that he is "expecting a lot of him".

"Leadership, poise, his voice, his mentality, the competitive spirit... He is obviously gonna run the club as a point guard and generate offense for us. I am expecting a lot of him... What I have seen has been very encouraging"

-- James Borrego on what Dejounte Murray brings pic.twitter.com/H2p1Xqr6Vd

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) February 19, 2026

James Borrego Teases the Possibility of Dejounte Murray Starting at Point Guard

Borrego also mentioned that Murray will play point guard and "generate offense". This is important as Murray has been utilized more off the ball and as a shooting guard in recent years. But the Pelicans desperately need more ball-handling, playmaking, and shot creation as they have a dearth of point guards, especially after Jose Alvarado's departure and Jordan Poole's fall from grace.

This suggests that Murray could eventually crack the starting five. Bringing both Jeremiah Fears and Murray off the bench may make it challenging to find enough minutes for both guards, so the former All-Star guard could take Saddiq Bey's spot in the lineup.

Talking about Bey, he was another member of the Pelicans who spoke highly of Murray ahead of his return. The veteran forward said of Murray, "In practice, he is looking good. He doesn't seem like he is a step behind. He seems ahead of the curve," before adding that he is happy as a man to see Murray get healthy.

It is obviously difficult to gauge Murray's impact before he actually sees game time. Looking good in practice may not translate to game speed.

Yet, it is undeniably a good sign that both Borrego and Bey are teasing big things from Murray. They could have easily been more cautious in their remarks, highlighting how difficult it is to come back from a long absence and that Murray will need time. Instead, they raised expectations about what the Pelicans guard may be able to do upon his looming return.