Amid injuries to the 2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans, reeling from Zion Williamson's latest hamstring setback, Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green says the team missing their leader, Dejounte Murray, is their underlying issue. Jordan Poole is expected to miss some games due to a strained quad. However, that's not the player Green was alluding to, who can turn New Orleans' regular season around.
For Green, the Pelicans' leader is Murray, whose slated return for January can't come soon enough for the 2-6 squad, Green said, per the Draymond Green Show.
“You're fighting an uphill battle. When your best players aren't healthy, it's an uphill battle,” Green said. “Dejounte's [Murray] still out. Dejounte is the leader of that team. Make no mistake about it. Just like any other team he's ever been on, Dejounte Murray is the leader of that team. You go find me any team in the NBA that loses their leader.”
Green adds that while most teams want to make their best player the designated leader, that's not always the case, as the Pelicans are a great example of that in having Murray to complement Zion Williamson.
“In this league, we always wanna make the best player the leader,” Green said. “So, everybody wants to make Zion [Williamson] the leader, but Zion isn’t the leader. Dejounte Murray is the leader of that team. You go find me any team that loses their leader, I'll show you a team that's more than likely going to struggle.”
Murray ruptured his Achilles tendon in his first year with the Pelicans last season. He was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Pelicans before the 2024-25 campaign, eager for a fresh start in New Orleans. Unfortunately, Murray joined the extended list of NBA players whose season ended due to a ruptured Achilles, including Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard, Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, and Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton.
Jordan Poole will miss time with a quad strain
Pelicans guard Jordan Poole has started in four of his seven appearances of the season, but suffered a strained quad that could keep him sidelined for up to two weeks.
The Pelicans announced the extent of Poole's injury on their X, formerly Twitter.
“Jordan Poole has been diagnosed with a mild left vastus lateralis (quad) strain. Poole will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, and further updates will be appropriately provided,” the Pelicans announced.
Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears, who earned the starting job over Poole, will most likely see a spike in playing time.
