NBA Notes: Pelicans, Dejounte Murray, Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Pacers

Pelicans

Dejounte Murray could have taken the safer route last season. Instead, the Pelicans guard wanted back on the floor.

Murray returned from a torn Achilles in February, more than a year after suffering the injury, and appeared in 14 games despite New Orleans sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference.

He told Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype that even the remote possibility of reaching the play-in tournament gave him something worth returning for.

“I worked my tail off to even be in a position to play,” Murray said. “So I was just excited to go out to not only show my team and the people that support me, my family, but just anybody that you can fall and get back up.”

Murray averaged 16.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds in those 14 games. Now healthy, the 29-year-old said his motivation isn’t about answering critics.

“It ain’t never about proving nobody wrong,” Murray said. “It’s really just proving myself right.”

Murray added that the world will see “a better version” of him this season.

Thunder

Apparently, back-to-back MVP awards and an NBA championship still aren’t enough to get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams into the top three among the league’s best duos.

CBS Sports recently ranked the Thunder stars fourth, behind the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and young guards, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and New York’s Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Grayson Buchanan of Thunder on SI argues that’s selling Oklahoma City short.

There’s certainly a case. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged at least 30 points in four straight seasons, while Williams was an All-NBA selection before injuries derailed much of last season.

A healthy Williams alongside SGA should give the Thunder a chance to remind everyone just how formidable that combination can be.

Pacers

Could the Pacers really go from 19 wins to 50 in one season?

The writers at NBA on SI debated that possibility, and there’s at least some precedent for a turnaround that dramatic.

Alex Golden notes that a 31-win improvement would rank among the largest single-season jumps in NBA history. Of course, Indiana’s 19-63 disaster came with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined and injuries piling up throughout the roster.

Now Haliburton is back, Pascal Siakam remains in place, and the Pacers now also have Ivica Zubac and Kelly Oubre Jr.

Golden believes 50 wins are attainable, while Ethan Skolnick is more cautious given the strength of the East. Skolnick suggested 45 to 47 victories might be a more realistic target.

Either would represent quite the bounce-back.