Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Sitting out preseason finale
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Williamson is out for Tuesday's preseason game against the Rockets due to rest purposes.
Williamson hasn't suffered any injury but will sit out New Orleans' preseason finale. The 24-year-old forward should be good to go for the regular-season opener against Chicago on Oct. 23.
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Pelicans' Brandon Ingram: Good to go Tuesday
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Despite initial reports, Ingram will play in the Pelicans' final preseason game against Houston on Tuesday.
Head coach Willie Green made the announcement in Tuesday's pregame press conference that Ingram will play, while Zion Williamson will not. Ingram will join Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones and Daniel Theis in the starting lineup.
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Pelicans' Trhae Mitchell: Signs deal with New Orleans
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Mitchell and the Pelicans agreed to a contract Monday.
Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but this is expected to be an Exhibit 10 deal. That means Mitchell is a candidate to play for the Birmingham Squadron in the G League. In a related move, the Pelicans waived guard Jalen Crutcher.
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Pelicans' Malcolm Hill: Scores double-digit points in loss
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Hill had 12 points (3-7 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT) and one rebound across nine minutes in Sunday's 101-99 preseason loss to the Heat.
Hill amassed the second-highest mark in points on the Pelicans behind only Zion Williamson (13). Hill hasn't seen the court in a regular-season game since the 2022-23 season, during which he averaged only 1.0 points across 1.8 minutes per game over five appearances with Chicago. The 28-year-old is operating under a two-way contract and will likely spend most of his time with the club's G League affiliate -- the Birmingham Squadron -- though his preseason play bodes well for a potential NBA call-up during the regular season.
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Pelicans' Dejounte Murray: Bounces back in preseason loss
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Murray ended with 11 points (5-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt), five rebounds and two assists across 21 minutes in Sunday's 101-99 preseason loss to the Heat.
Murray produced a solid outing in his limited run against Miami. The 25-year-old appears to be knocking the rust off after he posted only six points while shooting 2-for-9 from the field in his Pelicans debut against the Magic last Monday. Murray will likely be the club's primary ball handler coming off a career-best year with the Hawks, during which he averaged a career-high 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds across 35.7 minutes per game in 78 regular-season appearances.
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Pelicans' Jordan Hawkins: Scores 11 in preseason loss Sunday
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Hawkins recorded 11 points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and three rebounds across 17 minutes in Sunday's 101-99 preseason loss to the Heat.
Hawkins was the fifth member of the Pelicans to record double-digit points alongside Zion Williamson (13), Malcolm Hill (12), Dejounte Murray (11) and CJ McCollum (10). Hawkins is coming off a solid rookie season, during which he averaged 7.8 points and 2.2 rebounds across 17.3 minutes per game in 67 regular-season outings. The 22-year-old could see significant minutes off the bench this season, especially if Trey Murphy (hamstring) is out for an extended period.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Scores game-high 13 points Sunday
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Williamson logged 13 points (5-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, two assists and one block across 17 minutes in Sunday's 101-99 preseason loss to the Heat.
Williamson scored a game-high 13 points while playing limited minutes in the contest. The All-Star forward was fairly efficient, and he dominated around the paint while finding good looks down low and hitting from mid-range. Williamson is coming off another efficient season, during which he averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks across 31.5 minutes per game in a career-high 70 regular-season outings. The big man has struggled to stay on the court, but if consistently available, he will likely be in for another productive year.
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Pelicans' Elfrid Payton: Rejoins New Orleans
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The Pelicans signed Payton to a contract Friday.
Despite being left off the team's training camp roster, Payton has signed another contract with the Pelicans. It's unclear if he will make the regular-season roster in New Orleans.
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Pelicans' Josh Oduro: Inks deal with New Orleans
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The Pelicans signed Oduro to a contract Friday.
Oduro spent his final collegiate year at Providence before going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. Oduro will likely spend the 2024-25 campaign with the Pelicans' G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.
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Pelicans' Herbert Jones: Could operate as starting center
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Jones is expected to serve as the Pelicans' starting center this season, Shams Charania of ESPN.com reports.
Jones is one of the NBA's best defensive forwards but is now expected to operate as a small-ball center for New Orleans alongside Zion Williamson in the frontcourt. The departure of Jonas Valanciunas has left a gap at the position that could also be filled by rookie Yves Missi, but Jones' shot-blocking prowess at his size could earn him starting center minutes early on.
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Pelicans' Brandon Ingram: Won't play until preseason finale
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Ingram (undisclosed) will not play until New Orleans' preseason finale versus Houston on Tuesday, Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Ingram practiced Wednesday and "is fine," in the words of coach Willie Green. Ingram's exclusion from most of the preseason contests appears to be precautionary.
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Pelicans' Daniel Theis: Leads Pelicans in minutes
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Theis posted 13 points (6-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt), two rebounds, an assist and two steals across 21 minutes in Monday's 106-104 preseason win over the Magic.
There are several positives to extract out of Theis' first start with New Orleans, as he co-led the team in minutes played while being just one of two starters who scored in double digits. However, and perhaps even more importantly, he outplayed rookie Yves Missi in both production and time on the court, with Missi logging 16 minutes off the bench and putting up five points, five rebounds, two steals and a block. It's only one game in preseason, but it seems Theis has a leg up in the race to open the regular season as New Orleans' starting center.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Efficient in preseason opener
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Williamson notched 16 points (8-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt), eight rebounds, three assists and two steals across 19 minutes in Monday's 106-104 preseason win over the Magic.
Williamson needed less than 20 minutes to show everyone that the rumors of him being healthy and in excellent shape were true, as the star forward rarely missed from the field and ended just two rebounds shy of recording a double-double. Williamson will be the driving force of the Pelicans' offense once they open their regular season against the Bulls on Oct. 23.
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Pelicans' Dejounte Murray: Struggles with shot Monday
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Murray delivered six points (2-9 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, six assists and a steal across 17 minutes in Monday's 106-104 preseason win over the Magic.
Even though fantasy managers shouldn't put too much stock into preseason stats, Murray looked a bit rusty and struggled with his shot. However, he did look comfortable orchestrating the offense as a primary floor general, the same role in which he excelled last season when Trae Young was sidelined with a finger injury. Murray, who'll open the 2024-25 campaign as the Pelicans' starting point guard, averaged a career-high 22.5 points, along with 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds, per game across 78 regular-season appearances in 2023-24.
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Pelicans' Daniel Theis: Draws first start
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Theis will start at center for Monday's preseason game against Orlando.
Rookie Yves Missi will likely get a chance with the starters at some point during the preseason, but Theis will get the first chance. In 373 career regular-season NBA games, Theis holds averages of 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 blocks.
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Pelicans' Herbert Jones: Starting against Orlando
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Jones will start Monday's preseason game against Orlando.
Brandon Ingram is sitting out Monday's game for undisclosed reasons, but he's not injured. Jones could see increased run to open the season with Trey Murphy battling a hamstring issue. On a per-minute basis, Jones is a terrific source of steals and blocks.
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Pelicans' Brandon Ingram: Will not play Monday
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Ingram (rest) will not play in Monday's preseason game against Orlando, Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Coach Willie Green said Ingram's absence is not because of an injury. Green recently relayed that Ingram has dominated during training camp, but it's unclear if the star forward will be available for Friday's preseason rematch in Orlando. As for the rest of the starters, Green anticipates they will see around 20 minutes.
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Pelicans' Jordan Hawkins: Team option picked up
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The Pelicans announced Friday that they exercised the third-year option for 2025-26 on Hawkins' contract, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
Hawkins slowed down toward the end of his rookie year but still averaged 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.3 minutes across 67 regular-season appearances, including 10 starts, in 2023-24. However, Hawkins could see a slight reduction in his role this season due to the addition of Dejounte Murray.
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Pelicans' Trey Murphy: Out at least three weeks
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The Pelicans announced Thursday that Murphy has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and will be re-examined in approximately three weeks.
Murphy strained his right hamstring during Wednesday's training camp practice. The 24-year-old forward's status for the beginning of the regular season is now in question. Murphy is expected to compete with Herbert Jones for backup forward minutes when healthy.
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Pelicans' Adonis Arms: Joins New Orleans for camp
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Arms and the Pelicans agreed to a contract Tuesday.
Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but it's likely an Exhibit 10 deal in which Arms will compete for a roster spot in training camp. Arms appeared in 42 games last season with G League's Memphis Hustle, posting averages of 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
