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Pelicans' Dejounte Murray: Mellifluent start to season
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Murray amassed 23 points (9-18 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals over 34 minutes during Wednesday's 123-120 loss to the Pacers.
Murray didn't miss a beat, delivering a two-way masterclass despite the loss Wednesday. He led the team in minutes, points, assists, steals and blocks, rewarding anyone who took a chance on him in drafts. While his production could ebb and flow, to some degree, managers should feel relatively confident when it comes to his floor, given his proven ability to contribute across multiple categories, as evidenced in this performance.
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Pelicans' Derik Queen: Double-doubles in 18 minutes
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Queen contributed 10 points (2-4 FG, 6-6 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist and two steals over 18 minutes during Wednesday's 123-120 loss to Indiana.
Queen recorded a double-double, albeit just, delivering a solid line despite playing limited minutes off the bench. With Yves Missi having arguably the best game of his life as the starting center, it appears as though Queen is going to serve as the backup, at least for the foreseeable future. He remains a viable asset in standard leagues, with a view to increasing his value, if and when his role also increases.
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Pelicans' Yves Missi: Dominant performance despite loss
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Missi ended with 13 points (5-6 FG, 3-4 FT), 14 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals across 30 minutes during Wednesday's 123-120 loss to the Pacers.
Missi made the most of his promotion to the starting lineup, turning in arguably the best performance of his young career. For anyone who took a chance on him at the end of drafts, now could be an ultimate sell-high opportunity. With that said, it does appear as though he is going to be the starting center moving forward. While managers shouldn't expect numbers like this on a nightly basis, he should be a solid source of rebounds and blocks.
Fears will start Wednesday's game against the Pacers.
Fears got the starting nod in New Orleans' preseason finale and will remain in the first unit over Herbert Jones on Wednesday. Over 49 regular-season starts in his rookie season, Fears averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals across 27.6 minutes per tilt.
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Pelicans' Herbert Jones: Not starting Wednesday
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Jones is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Pacers.
The Pelicans will go small for Wednesday's season opener, starting Dejounte Murray and Jeremiah Fears in the backcourt. Jones still should see quality minutes in the reserve role, but his upside will be limited.
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Pelicans' AJ Johnson: Team option declined
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The Pelicans declined Johnson's team option Tuesday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com reports.
As a result, Johnson is now set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season. A 2024 first-rounder by the Bucks, he's looking for a fresh start in New Orleans following multiple offseason trades but is unlikely to begin the year in the rotation.
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Pelicans' Jeremiah Fears: Picks up third-year option with NOP
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The Pelicans exercised their third-year option on Fears on Tuesday, Terry Kimble of SI.com reports.
Fears is now guaranteed to be under contract in New Orleans through the 2027-28 season. Fears had some impressive showings in his rookie season, but as long as he's operating in a reserve role behind Dejounte Murray, his upside will be limited.
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Pelicans' Derik Queen: Team option picked up
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The Pelicans exercised their third-year team option on Queen's contract Tuesday, Terry Kimble of SI.com reports.
The No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is now officially under contract for the 2027-28 season. The big man averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 combined steals-plus-blocks across 25.0 minutes per tilt in 81 regular-season appearances (48 starts) in his rookie season. Queen is expected to compete for minutes with Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic in 2026-27.
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Pelicans' Yves Missi: Team option exercised
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The Pelicans exercised their fourth-year team option on Missi's contract Tuesday, Terry Kimble of SI.com reports.
Missi is now under contract for the 2027-28 campaign. He's expected to open the 2026-27 campaign as the Pelicans' starting center after averaging 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists in 19.7 minutes per game across 66 regular-season appearances (14 starts) last season.
Pelicans' Dejounte Murray: Ready for season opener
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Murray (toe) said Monday he'll be fine to play in Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Pacers, per Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site.
Murray battled a bruised toe to close out the preseason, but all signs point toward him being good to go for the start of the regular season. The star guard should be able to handle a normal workload Wednesday, and Murray is looking to build on last year's successful comeback from an Achilles injury.
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Pelicans' Trey Murphy: Finishes preseason with solid line
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Murphy supplied 11 points (5-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), five rebounds, three assists and two steals across 21 minutes in Friday's 107-106 preseason win over the Wizards.
Murphy bounced back from a five-point showing against Dallas, reaching double figures for the third time in four preseason games. The forward should see a heavy workload this season as one of the Pelicans' top multi-category producers.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Off the mark in preseason finale
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Williamson posted 11 points (5-14 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds and one assist over 22 minutes during Friday's 107-106 preseason win over the Wizards.
Williamson struggled with his shot, missing all four of his three-point attempts. Staying healthy has always been the question for the 26-year-old forward, so a clean bill of health heading into the regular season is the biggest takeaway from his preseason workload.
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Pelicans' Jeremiah Fears: Excels in preseason finale
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Fears tallied 14 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, five assists and three steals in 22 minutes in Friday's 107-106 preseason win over the Wizards.
Fears tied for the team lead in steals and reached double figures for the fourth time in as many preseason games. The second-year guard averaged 13.3 points this exhibition season in a starting role. Dejounte Murray (toe) sat out Friday's finale, which gave Fears even more time with the ball in his hands.
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Pelicans' Saddiq Bey: Logs game-high 19 points
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Bey logged 19 points (7-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists and two steals over 17 minutes during Friday's 107-106 preseason win over the Wizards.
Bey exploded off the bench for a game-high 19 points after totaling just 21 points across his previous three preseason appearances. He posted a career-high 17.7 points per game last season, and New Orleans rewarded him with a three-year, $55.5 million extension in September. Bennedict Mathurin's arrival could cut into his time this season, but he'll still be a valuable piece of the offense.
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Pelicans' Karlo Matkovic: Won't start Friday
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Matkovic is not listed in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Wizards.
Matkovic started in Wednesday's 101-97 preseason victory over the Mavericks. However, he will return to the bench for the Pelicans' final exhibition before meeting the Pacers on Opening Night.
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Pelicans' Saddiq Bey: Back to bench Friday
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Bey is not listed in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against Washington.
Bey will come off the bench in the final preseason game for the Pelicans before the team kicks off the 2026-27 campaign versus the Pacers on Opening Night.
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Pelicans' Bennedict Mathurin: Not starting Friday
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Mathurin is not listed in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Wizards.
Mathurin will come off the bench for the last exhibition before the start of the 2026-27 campaign. The 2022 No. 6 overall pick, who is competing for a spot in the starting lineup, has averaged 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 16.7 minutes per contest in three preseason appearances.
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Pelicans' Dejounte Murray: Out again Friday
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Murray (toe) won't play in Friday's preseason finale against the Wizards, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports.
Murray looked good in the preseason opener on Oct. 7, but then sat out the final three exhibition games due to a toe issue. He'll have another four days to rest up before the Pelicans' regular-season opener against the Pacers on Oct. 21, and for now, he can be considered questionable for that one. If he's not ready by Opening Night, Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole would get a bump in value.
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