Dejounte Murray's return & 2 other X-factors as Hawks host Pelicans

A hand injury threatened it, but the Atlanta Hawks will indeed see Dejounte Murray when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

Murray missed 17 games after fracturing his hand in the second game of the season. He returned three games ago and is averaging 15.0 points per game with 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game since rejoining the lineup.

The injury has led to a small, less-than-stellar sample size for Murray this season.

But it would be wise to expect him to play an especially inspired game in his first game against the team that essentially made him the scapegoat for their issues.

Dejounte Murray's return to Atlanta looms large for Hawks

He already expressed excitement that the trade went down, saying that he had been smiling since in reaction to comments from New York Knicks guard Josh Hart about not taking his 2019 trade to New Orleans from the Los Angeles Lakers well.

Murray said he couldn’t relate to the negative sentiments.

“S*** I Can’t RELATE!!!” Murray posted on X in August. “NOLA I Been Smiling Since That MF Trade Happen On My Mama!!!”

Everyone said the right things during their press conferences. But we have seen Murray play impassioned ball over lesser reasons, like the perceived disrespect from Orlando Magic big man Paolo Banchero in 2022.

Murray vowed to return from his hand surgery motivated and hungry. 

Seeing his former teammates as opponents could provide a little extra oomph for an already dynamic player.

Hawks need more consistent offense from Dyson Daniels

Dyson Daniels stole headlines with a string of outstanding defensive performances highlighted by steals in bunches. But that particular aspect of his defense has cooled. After logging 4-plus steals in five straight games, he has matched that mark just once in the last eight games.

He was never going to keep up his torrid pace. But along with his dropoff in takeaways, which means a lack of transition opportunities, Daniels’ scoring has dropped precipitously.

The Hawks need more from Daniels.

Over the last eight games, Daniels is averaging 11.1 PPG and shooting 36.3% from the floor and 10-for-32 from deep. Daniels had averaged 16.7/4.3/3.3 line on a 49% clip and a 7-for-29 mark on triples.

His deep efficiency was always going to be a question mark. 

However, he has shown he can be better. And if he is not going to create transition opportunities at that (impossibly) high clip, Daniels must start sinking his shots at a higher clip.

He was shooting 38.7% from deep in the eight games entering the Hawks’ win over the Charlotte Hornets. But he went 0-for-6 in that game, putting a significant dent in his season-long averages.

The Hawks do not necessarily need more from Daniels.

They just need him to do what he has already proven capable of more consistently, which can be challenging for 21-year-olds.

Desperate Pelicans rolling into State Farm Arena

Daniels can work on his consistency against the Pelicans, his former team. He was a key part of the trade that sent Murray to New Orleans.

The Pelicans have lost eight straight games, including a 118-85 defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks on December 1, putting them on the second leg of a back-to-back. They are 0-4 in those games this season.

The Pelicans are also 1-7 on the road.

Murray and the Pelicans are extremely shorthanded. They were without Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Zion Williamson against the Knicks.

The Hawks cannot take this matchup lightly, a lesson they hopefully learned from their battle with the Hornets. Just as one should expect Murray to come into this contest fired up, the Hawks should be expected to prepare for that.