Dejounte Murray closed his 2025-26 season with a blunt view of what New Orleans nonetheless has to unravel. The Pelicans completed 26-56 and 14th within the Western Convention, and Murray mentioned the trail ahead has to start out “from the highest all the best way down.”
“Man, clearly a wild season,” Murray mentioned on Monday, April 13. “It was a problem, you realize, however life’s a problem.”
Murray returned from rehab and shortly turned one of many Pelicans’ most essential voices once more. He mentioned the stretch after he rejoined the lineup confirmed him the worth of being locked in on “movie and the sport planning for whoever we performed,” together with the day-to-day habits that include staying prepared.
He additionally described a full-speed strategy to his comeback. “I needed to come again and play 5 on 5. We had a little bit referred to as demise row from Loon and DeAndre,” Murray mentioned. “So simply me treating that prefer it was precise sport.”
For Murray, the larger concern isn’t just expertise. “It’s going to take an entire high to backside,” he mentioned. “Everyone obtained to be on the identical web page. Everyone obtained to know that it is a league that gained’t really feel dangerous for you.”
He mentioned profitable requires function acceptance and accountability. “You bought to know your function,” Murray mentioned. “Everyone’s not a star, all people’s not the man, all people can’t take any and each shot.”
Murray additionally pointed to chemistry as a separator for groups that win within the clutch. “While you take a look at nice groups from high to backside there’s function set,” he mentioned. “They know what they’re operating. It’s simply not okay we’re going to simply ISO and attempt to win the sport.”
New Orleans confirmed flashes after the All-Star break, and Murray believes that mattered. “There have been a variety of positives to take after that all-star break,” he mentioned. “I believe we weren’t according to that.”
He mentioned interim coach James Borrego dealt with a tough scenario effectively. “Strong,” Murray mentioned. “He was up for the duty and I believe he did a superb job.”
Murray’s offseason begins with a transparent precedence. “My job is to maintain my physique, keep wholesome and proceed to work on my sport,” he mentioned. “Now I get to get again to that routine the place I get to work on my physique, work on my sport and simply be excited to get one other further 5 months.”
He additionally made clear that New Orleans is the place he desires to be. “I do,” Murray mentioned when requested about eager to be a part of the longer term. “I wish to be a type of guys that look and say rattling final yr we gained 26 video games. After which subsequent yr we may look and be like man we within the playoffs.”
