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Jim Eichenhofer

Age: 26NBA experience: Four seasons (four with Pelicans)Games played/games started: 66/1Key stats: 7.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 38.7 three-point percentage, 79.1 FT percentage

Pelicans forward Naji Marshall’s 2023-24 NBA season overview

One of the key cogs for a New Orleans bench that ranked second in plus-minus this season (after finishing eighth last season and No. 22 in 2021-22), Marshall provided defense, energy, toughness, hustle and was an improved shooter and offensive player in his fourth season.

“All of these guys all season long, they’ve all contributed to wins and have contributed to this journey,” third-year head coach Willie Green said of his second unit. “They’re important to what we do. It’s refreshing to see the results.” Brandon Ingram on Pelicans subs: “It just feels like they’re always in the right spots at the right time, and they always bring energy. Naji changes the game in a big way on the defensive side, pushing the pace.”

Marshall went undrafted in 2020 partly due to questions about his perimeter shot (29 percent on three-pointers over three seasons at Xavier in Ohio), but he’s begun to answer those as a pro. He hovered over 40 percent for a long stretch of 2023-24, before finishing at 38.7.

“Reps on top of reps on top of reps,” Marshall explained of his improvement. “Hours being in the gym. Getting that confidence, knowing I work on it and just trusting my work when I get on the court. (And) of course my teammates trusting me.”

The Atlantic City (N.J.) native will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. He’s repeatedly expressed gratitude for being in the NBA, including noting of the NOLA bench’s second-ranked status, “just to be a part of that gave me chills.”

“I’m blessed to be here,” he said. “All glory to God. Just to be able to get in an NBA game, and just get a chance, is everything to me.”

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Naji Marshall Top Plays | 2023‑24 NBA Season Highlights

Pelicans radio color analyst John DeShazier recaps New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall's 2023-24 NBA season.

Naji Marshall's per-game stats from the 2023-24 NBA season

Three-point percentage over his previous three NBA seasons (116 of 406), making him one of the league’s most improved perimeter shooters.

Percentage of his points that came after opponent turnovers. Among Pelicans players who logged significant minutes, that ranked third (Dyson Daniels 20.6, Herb Jones 20.3).

Team-leading buzzer-beating heaves by Marshall at the ends of quarters. Daniels (four) and Larry Nance Jr. (three) were next on the Pelicans.

Naji Marshall’s three most notable games

#1, April 19, New Orleans 105, Sacramento 98

Marshall was arguably the team’s MVP in the victory that sent the Pelicans to the playoffs, bringing aggressive defense and opportunistic offense to a sixth consecutive win over the Kings. He netted 11 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block, relentless hounding Sacramento’s top scorers.

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as forward Naji Marshall grabs a steal and takes the ball all the way to the rim for the breakaway dunk.

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Naji Marshall steals, takes it the distance for dunk | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as forward Naji Marshall throws down the dunk.

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Naji Marshall throws down the jam | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sacramento Kings NBA Western Conference Play-In Tournament postgame interviews with head coach Willie Green after the Pelicans' 105-98 win over the Kings on Friday, April 19 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green recaps win over Sacramento | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Postgame 4/19/2024

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Pelicans 105, Kings 98: Brandon Ingram 24 points | Play-in postgame wrap

#2, March 8, New Orleans 103, Philadelphia 95

One of the best offensive performances of his career featured near-perfection shooting-wise, at 7/8 from the field and 4/4 on threes. He tacked on a free throw to record a season-high 19 points. The Pelicans were plus-23 with him on the court, but minus-15 without him.

Forward Naji Marshall scored 19 points making 7-of-8 (.875) field goal attempts during the New Orleans Pelicans game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, March 8 in Wells Fargo Center.

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Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Naji Marshall with 19 Points vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Pelicans postgame interview with forward Brandon Ingram following their game on Friday, March 8 at 6 p.m. CT during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Brandon Ingram talks road record, Naji Marshall | Pelicans at 76ers Postgame 3/8/24

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green spoke to the team in the locker room following the win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, March 8, 2024.

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Willie Green's postgame locker room speech | Pelicans at 76ers 3/8/24

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Postgame wrap: Pelicans 103, 76ers 95

In just his second game played of the season, Marshall helped the Pelicans bounce back from a one-sided defeat vs. the Mavericks two days earlier. He supplied 16 points on 5/9 shooting, including a banked-in three-pointer from beyond halfcourt, as New Orleans improved to 1-1 in In-Season Tournament pool play.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall scores 16 points in the team's In-Season Tournament win against the Dallas Mavericks.

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Highlights: Naji Marshall adds 16 Points vs. Dallas Mavericks 11/14/23

New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall sinks the deep buzzer beater to end the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks.

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Naji Marshall BUZZER-BEATER to end 1Q | Pelicans-Mavericks Highlights 11/14/23

New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego talks to the team postgame in the Pelicans locker room after their In-Season Tournament win against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Inside the Pelicans locker room postgame after win vs. Dallas Mavericks 11/14/2023

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NBA In-Season Tournament postgame wrap: Pelicans 131, Mavericks 110

Naji Marshall’s player participation report

A right knee contusion sidelined Marshall for the regular season’s first nine games, but from there, he was one of the team’s most durable players, appearing in 65 of the next 68 contests. For a second straight season, he was in Green’s rotation whenever he was healthy (played 77 games in 2022-23). The Pelicans were 41-25 when he played this season, but 8-8 when he was a DNP.

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Naji Marshall | 2023-24 NBA Season in Review

Pelicans.com

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast from Thursday, May 16, 2024, Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell welcome Pelicans radio color analyst John DeShazier to discuss Naji Marshall's 2023-2024 NBA season as we continue with our Pelicans roster season recaps.

LISTEN ABOVE OR CLICK HERE FOR FULL PODCAST >>

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Naji Marshall's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Jose Alvarado's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Larry Nance Jr.'s 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Trey Murphy III 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Jonas Valanciunas’ 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Herb Jones’ 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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CJ McCollum’s 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Brandon Ingram's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Zion Williamson's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Pelicans Season Recap, NBA Playoffs vs. OKC Thunder | Pelicans Podcast

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Pelicans must-win Game 4, adjustments vs. OKC Thunder | Pelicans Podcast

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Pelicans Radio Roundtable on Game 3 vs. OKC Thunder | Pelicans Podcast

Pelicans Podcast

Age: 26NBA experience: Three seasons (three with Pelicans)Games played/games started: 56/0Key stats: 7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 37.7 three-point percentage

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado’s 2023-24 NBA season overview

He’s the plucky 6-foot underdog with the undrafted background, but New Orleans’ backup point guard is rarely underappreciated in the Crescent City. His regular season individual statistics may not jump off the page, but his impact on winning was undeniable: the Pelicans went 38-18 in his 56 regular season games, but just 11-15 in the 26 he missed. Those records were also reflected in the fact that the New York City native finished second on New Orleans in aggregate plus-minus (+240), behind only Trey Murphy (+265) – which in itself is a testament to how effective the squad’s bench became. As was the case for fellow Pelicans reserves Murphy, Naji Marshall and Larry Nance Jr., Alvarado was sidelined by injury early in 2023-24, but contributed greatly to a second unit that commonly erased deficits or expanded leads.

“It was a rough start from the beginning,” said Alvarado, whose season debut wasn’t until Nov. 20. “Came in with an injury. Had to get that feeling, that emotion, that swag back. It’s hard to do during the season.”

New Orleans was just 6-7 before Alvarado debuted, then went 15-7 over its next 22 games. He shot a career high in three-point percentage and led the Pelicans in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.93), before struggling in the playoffs vs. Oklahoma City. He wasn’t alone in that regard.

“Overall regular season was cool, but this playoff series made me personally think it didn’t mean (squat),” he said in his April 30 exit interview. “I’ve got to figure it out and keep on improving.”

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Jose Alvarado Top Plays | 2023‑24 NBA Season Highlights

The Advocate's Christian Clark recaps New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado's 2023-24 NBA season.

Jose Alvarado's per-game stats from the 2023-24 NBA season

Games (out of his 56 appearances) that New Orleans won Alvarado’s minutes during the regular season. There were 19 times the Pelicans were outscored with him on the floor, as well as two break-even nights. They went 28-7 when Alvarado had a positive plus-minus.

New Orleans record when Alvarado sank at least three three-pointers. NOLA also won eight of the nine times when he dished out at least four assists (all wins for both stats were by at least an eight-point margin).

Alvarado three-point percentage over his first two NBA seasons (115 of 357). Three-fifths of his total shot attempts from the field in 2023-24 were at the three-point arc, compared to roughly half during the previous season.

Jose Alvarado’s three most notable games

Revenge was sweet, as Alvarado got payback in the best way possible, delivering a season-high 17 points, along with seven rebounds and six assists in a rout over the Heat. A month earlier, Alvarado was ejected from a Feb. 23 loss to Miami due to an altercation with Heat backup center Thomas Bryant.

Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Jose Alvarado with 17 Points vs. Miami Heat

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New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado speaks to the media following the teams win over the Miami Heat on Friday, March 22, 2024.

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Jose Alvarado on Miami win, team defense | Pelicans at Heat Postgame Interview 3/22/24

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green speaks to the media following the teams win over the Miami Heat on Friday, March 22, 2024.

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Willie Green recaps win | Pelicans at Heat Postgame 3/22/24

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Pelicans 111, Heat 88: CJ McCollum 30 points | Postgame wrap

#2, April 19, New Orleans 105, Sacramento 98

The Pelicans reached the playoffs for a second time in three years via this play-in tournament win. Alvarado was part of a stalwart bench performance, delivering 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block.

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as center Jonas Valanciunas blocks a shot leading to a circus finish in transition by guard Jose Alvarado

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Jonas Valanciunas block leads to Jose Alvarado circus finish | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as guard Jose Alvarado finishes an and-one layup.

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Jose Alvarado finishes the and-one | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

#3, Dec. 31, New Orleans 129, LA Lakers 109

The quintessential Alvarado game, he finished with eight points and one assist but still was one of the most impactful players in a blowout win. He finished with four steals, pulling off thievery against both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Guard Jose Alvarado grabbed four steals, blocked two shots and added eight points during the New Orleans Pelicans game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 in the Smoothie King Center.

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Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Jose Alvarado grabs 4 steals vs. Los Angeles Lakers 12/31/23

New Orleans Pelicans post game interview with guard Jose Alvarado after their win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Jose Alvarado on his performance, team offense | Pelicans Lakers Postgame Interview 12/31/23

New Orleans Pelicans post game interview with forward Zion Williamson after their win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Zion Williamson talks Jose Alvarado's impact, chemistry | Pelicans Lakers Postgame Interview 12/31/23

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Postgame wrap: Pelicans 129, Lakers 109

Jose Alvarado’s player participation report

After missing the first 13 games due to a right ankle sprain, Alvarado was on the court for 51 of the next 59 contests (New Orleans went 38-21 over that timeframe after a 6-7 start). However, he was sidelined for five games of the team’s costly 1-5 homestand. Overall, he logged fewer total minutes (1,028) than he did in Year 2 (1,310), also partly due to the varying availability of teammates.

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Jose Alvarado | 2023-24 NBA Season in Review

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast from Wednesday, May 15, 2024, Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell welcome The Advocate's Christian Clark to discuss Jose Alvarado's 2023-2024 NBA season as we continue with our Pelicans roster season recaps.

Age: 31NBA experience: Nine seasons (three with Pelicans)Games played/games started: 61/0Key stats: 5.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 spg, 57.3 FG percentage

Pelicans center Larry Nance Jr.’s 2023-24 NBA season overview

Apropos for a nine-year pro who was among a dozen finalists for the NBA’s Teammate of the Year award, Nance spent his entire April 30 exit interview speaking about other Pelicans players, instead of his own game. “Huge leaps and bounds from various guys on the team,” Nance said, when asked to list some of the best aspects of New Orleans’ campaign. “Herb (Jones), Trey (Murphy), Naji (Marshall), Jose (Alvarado), guys making huge jumps (improvements). It was really cool to see that.”

The Pelicans again upped their win total from the previous season under Willie Green, with their second-unit center figuring prominently in that success, particularly after a start that was hampered by injuries, both for Nance and the team overall. It wasn’t until a Dec. 28 return to the court that Nance began to look like himself physically following an ankle injury, but New Orleans immediately won six of its next seven games. During the second half of the season, Nance often started second halves of games, with the Pelicans going 13-3 when he logged at least 23:00 of playing time. Twelve of those wins occurred between Dec. 28 and April 7. The team’s 49 regular season victories were the most for a Nance team since his 2017-18 Cleveland squad (50-32) that reached the NBA Finals, before losing to a historically great Golden State club led by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

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Larry Nance Jr. Top Plays | 2023‑24 NBA Season Highlights

Pelicans team reporter Erin Summers recaps New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr.'s 2023-24 NBA season.

Larry Nance Jr.'s per-game stats from the 2023-24 NBA season

Three-point percentage, a career high, albeit on relatively modest volume (he was 27 of 65). Over the last two seasons, Nance has evolved into a willing corner three-point shooter, with over half of his attempts coming from there (that had never been more than a 31 percent share in any of his previous NBA seasons, via Basketball Reference).

Free throw percentage, also a career high. Nance connected on 47 of 61 attempts from the charity stripe, bringing him close to league average (78.4). He shot between 65 and 69 percent on foul shots during his previous Lakers, Cleveland and Portland tenures.

New Orleans record when Nance grabbed at least seven rebounds. They were 12-5 when he blocked at least one shot.

Larry Nance Jr.’s three most notable games

In a do-or-die play-in tournament game, Pelicans reserves flourished, led by Nance’s all-around excellence. He posted 13 points on 6/7 shooting, adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Nance played in three of the six victories over the Kings.

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as forward/center Larry Nance Jr. dunks the ball, steals the ball, then dunks it again.

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Larry Nance dunks, steals, dunks again | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as forward/center Larry Nance Jr. slams down the dunk.

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Larry Nance Jr. slams it down for the dunk | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sacramento Kings NBA Western Conference Play-In Tournament postgame interviews with forward/center Larry Nance Jr. after the Pelicans' 105-98 win over the Kings on Friday, April 19 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Larry Nance Jr. talks bench unit, returning to playoffs | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Postgame 4/19/2024

Nance helped the extremely shorthanded Pelicans stun the Mavericks by scoring a season-high 14 points (he had 14 again at Dallas two days later). He was 4/4 from the field and 6/6 at the foul line, while notching a plus-14 in 20 minutes.

Guard Jose Alvarado hits two back-to-back three-point field goals and then finds forward Larry Nance Jr. during the New Orleans Pelicans game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, Jan. 13 in American Airlines Center.

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Jose Alvarado hits back-to-back 3s, finds Nance on alley-oop | Pelicans at Mavericks Highlights 1/13/2024

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Postgame wrap: Pelicans 118, Mavericks 108

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Photos: Pelicans at Mavericks | Game Action 1/13/2024

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green's postgame interview after the Pelicans' game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, Jan. 13 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green recaps win over Dallas | Pelicans-Mavericks Postgame Interview 1/13/2024

One of Nance’s two double-doubles this season (the other was March 19 at Brooklyn), he helped ruin the Lake Show’s New Year’s Eve. He compiled 11 points and 10 rebounds, tying fellow ex-Laker Brandon Ingram with a team-high plus-17 in 23 minutes.

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Photos: Pelicans vs. Lakers | Game Action 12/31/23

New Orleans Pelicans post game interview with head coach Willie Green after their win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green recaps win over Los Angeles | Pelicans Lakers Postgame Interview 12/31/23

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Photos: Pelicans vs. Lakers | Fans and Entertainment 12/31/23

Larry Nance Jr.’s player participation report

He played the first 10 games of the regular season but didn’t look 100 percent physically, trying to push through injuries. After separate DNP stretches of four and 13 games in November and December, Nance appeared in 47 of the final 51 regular season contests, as well as all six postseason tilts. He had two spans of playing 17 consecutive games (New Orleans went 10-7 and 12-5 during those).

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Larry Nance Jr. | 2023-24 NBA Season in Review

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast from Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell welcome Pelicans team reporter Erin Summers to discuss Larry Nance Jr.'s 2023-2024 NBA season as we continue with our Pelicans roster season recaps.

Age: 23NBA experience: Three seasons (three with Pelicans)Games played/games started: 57/23Key stats: 14.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 81.5 FT percentage, 38.0 three-point percentage

Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III’s 2023-24 NBA season overview

Murphy’s campaign was a lot like that of the Pelicans overall: Another step forward, but not wholly satisfying, particularly given how it concluded. A summer knee injury prevented Murphy from making his season debut until Dec. 1 – and his starts decreased from 65 to 23 due to Zion Williamson’s excellent availability – but Murphy still established a career high in scoring and continued to be one of the NBA’s most dangerous deep-shooting threats.

“All things considered, I feel like it was a decently successful season,” he said during his April 30 exit interview. “We won 49 games. Winning 49 games is not an easy feat in the NBA. If we were in the Eastern Conference, we’d be a third seed. Obviously we wanted the season to end a little differently, but overall team success I’d say was good. I was able to contribute to that as well. It was my first time having a real major injury, so coming back from that was something I had to deal with mentally and try to get over the hump with that.”

Murphy finished seventh in the NBA’s Most Improved Player vote in 2022-23, but making another jump that large probably wasn’t realistic, particularly given his delayed start to Year 3. But the North Carolina native remains a player that many observers across the league are keeping an eye on, based on his upside and potential.

“I know where I can go, especially with how hard I work and overall drive,” he said. “I think the biggest thing is work hard every day… understanding I’m going to be a really good player in this league. It’s just a matter of time before it really shows.”

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Trey Murphy III Top Plays | 2023‑24 NBA Season Highlights

The Advocate's Christian Clark recaps New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III's 2023-24 NBA season.

Trey Murphy III's per-game stats from the 2023-24 NBA season

Rank among all NBA players this season in catch-and-shoot three-pointers made per game (2.3). The only gunners who averaged more than Murphy were Lauri Markkanen (3.1), Donte DiVincenzo, Klay Thompson, Luke Kennard and Stephen Curry. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Malik Beasley tied Murphy at 2.3 per game.

Rank in scoring average among players who came off the bench at least 30 games this season. Murphy averaged 13.8 points in his 34 appearances as a reserve. Jordan Clarkson led the category at 17.4 ppg in 36 games as a sub.

New Orleans record when Murphy sank at least four three-pointers in a game, including 11-0 when he drained five-plus treys. The Pelicans were undefeated during his big nights from deep until March 26 and April 1 home losses to Oklahoma City and Phoenix, respectively.

At this point, the Raptors probably have had their fill of three-point shooting from Pelicans forwards. Brandon Ingram went ballistic from distance on Feb. 5 vs. Toronto, while Murphy shot 10/14 off the bench on threes in this blowout in Canada. He poured in a season-high 34 points.

Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Trey Murphy III with 34 Points vs. Toronto Raptors