3 Pelicans who must step up amid Herb Jones injury
Today at 07:36 PM
The New Orleans Pelicans announced on Friday that small forward Herb Jones will be out indefinitely due to a torn labrum. This news delivered yet another blow to the Pelicans’ 2024-25 season that is coming apart at the seams.
In the 20 games Jones has been available for, he has provided the Pelicans with solid play. Averaging 32.4 minutes on the floor, Jones has been good for 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 43.6% from the field.
The Pelicans – sitting at 8-31, the second-worst record in the NBA – have had to deal with multiple star players being sidelined with injuries. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum have all been mainstays on the injury report throughout the season. Jones did his fair share of time on it prior to tearing his labrum.
The good news for the Pelicans is – with the exception of Jones – they appear to be trending in the right direction from a health perspective. McCollum has been their leading scorer, Williamson has returned and Ingram, out indefinitely with an ankle sprain, is expected to follow suit.
With Herb Jones on the shelf, who needs to step up?
Zion Williamson
While Williamson has returned to the floor after two months on the sideline, the Pelicans desperately need him to stay in the lineup. With his one-game suspension by the Pelicans out of the way, Williamson needs to focus on his health. His ability to stay active has been called in to question recently, a narrative he is determined to put to bed.
Williamson has been a difference-maker for the Pelicans when on the court this season, throwing down highlight reel dunks and putting his potential on display. In the seven games he has played in this season, Williamson is averaging 22.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and one steal per contest while averaging 30.6 minutes on the floor.
While trade rumors have persistently surrounded Williamson, he remains focused on the task at hand.
"At the end of the day, control the things you can control and accept the things you can’t," Williamson said. "As a professional, the only thing I can do is come into work every day, work hard and have fun. At the end of the day, I feel like, 'We get to play basketball for a living.’ I love hooping."
If Williamson manages to keep himself in the Pelicans lineup, the blow of losing Jones will be significantly softened.
Brandon Ingram
With Williamson back on the floor, the Pelicans hope that their star small forward can follow suit within a relatively quick amount of time. Ingram’s ankle sprain occurred during the Pelicans’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7 and the team has had an up-and-down month without him.
That loss against the Thunder started their 11-game losing streak – their longest kid of the season – but they also passed having the worst record in the league off to the Washington Wizards, saw Williamson return and upset the Philadelphia 76ers on the road.
Ingram has been one of the best players on the floor for the Pelicans when available this season. In the 18 games they have had him for, Ingram has averaged 33.1 minutes of action, 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.
If Ingram can get himself healthy and back into the Pelicans’ lineup before too much more time passes, he could help them finish the season on a high note. Going into the 2025-26 campaign with something to build on – and the addition of a top draft pick – could change the narrative surrounding the franchise.
Dejounte Murray
Murray is another member of the Pelicans who has done time on the injury report this season, but has been among the team’s top contributors when health. The shooting guard has started 22 games for New Orleans this season. In 33.2 minutes of action, Murray has averaged 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 38.9% from the field.
Jones’ ability to shoot is something the Pelicans will miss, but Murray can help fill that void. He made an impact from beyond the arc for the Atlanta Hawks last season, shooting 36.3% from deep. If he can get close to that number again, the Pelicans will be a more difficult team to beat as they will have more options. That is something that could serve them in future seasons as well, with the 2024-25 campaign likely going down as a dud.
Murray, when healthy, can make an argument to be looked at as one of the NBA’s most underrated guards. That is the level of play the Pelicans will need from him if they want to turn things around.
An incessant amount of injuries have put the Pelicans in a bind this season, but if these three players can step it up, the energy surrounding the team could begin to shift.
The post 3 Pelicans who must step up amid Herb Jones injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
