I don't think many people recall that SG/PG Dejounte Murray once averaged 21.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 9.2 APG and 2.0 SPG for the 2021-22 San Antonio Spurs. Those numbers were outrageous!
Yeah, we knew he would not be able to replicate those numbers the following season with PG Trae Young's immense usage in Atlanta, but Murray was still very good there.
Then he went to the New Orleans Pelicans and was doing fine -- until he tore his Achilles. He played 45 games during his first two Pelicans seasons. Did fantasy managers forget the good times, or overlook them a bit?
It's early in the 2026-27 season, but Murray is back to being a modest fantasy building block, averaging 20.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 6.3 APG -- with 2.3 SPG and 1.3 BPG! -- for a terrible team. His usage is back and the numbers are outstanding (though the block rate cannot continue). Most fantasy managers did not see this coming.
I saw Murray's name mentioned as a potential bust, because he didn't shoot all that much when he finally debuted for his 14 appearances last season, and he was turning 30, and it's tough to thrive after a torn Achilles and, well, just stop it ...
Murray is thriving, despite the relative mess around him, and I particularly love the percentages: 49% FG and 88.9% FT is so valuable, regardless of format.
This has always been an underrated player, for fantasy purposes and otherwise. Perhaps he cannot earn his second career All-Star nod if the Pelicans never win, but fantasy managers will love him, especially those who didn't need to invest a top-60 selection on draft day to get him.
I grabbed Murray in Round 1 of a keeper league (each team kept four players), and I am glad I did.
Other observations around the NBA
My fantasy hoops preference is roto/categories formats, so I tend to love the versatile statistical options who pile on both rebounds and assists while not killing the shooting percentages. It's why I can't get enough of Hawks PF Jalen Johnson, who is averaging a near-triple double.
Chicago Bulls PG Josh Giddey won't shoot 33.3% from the field for long, right?
I see you, Orlando Magic SF/PF Franz Wagner and Brooklyn Nets PF Julius Randle.
Speaking of the Magic, now without PF/SF Paolo Banchero and PG/SG Jalen Suggs, go add PG/SG Anthony Black. He missed the first two games with an ankle sprain and then scored 18 points in 26 minutes Sunday. He won't drain five 3-pointers every game, but Black showed glimpses of fantasy stardom filling in for injured players last season. He averaged 18.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 5.0 APG during December/January games. The Magic must give him minutes now, and this is a good thing.
Is it me or are the turnovers way up so far? (It's not just me. Entering Tuesday, teams were averaging 16.6 TPG. That number was 14.5 TPG last season!) Regardless, this affects fantasy managers in points formats, or in roto leagues that count turnovers, as one of mine does. We have a stat for assist-turnover ratio. LA Clippers PG Darius Garland, one of "my guys" this season, is averaging 7.0 APG and 6.0 TPG so far. Yeah, that's more James Harden-like than we want, and it is not really going to work. The non-related George brothers (Kyshawn George of Washington, Keyonte George from Utah) are both way up there. Nobody cares that Luka Doncic had an 11-turnover game because he scored 52 points two nights later. Anyway, I am sure the turnover trend will normalize some, but I am watching this.
The Detroit Pistons didn't need a healthy C Jalen Duren (hamstring) to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, because the 76ers have no interior presence when C Joel Embiid sits. And Embiid is going to sit a lot, and not merely in back-to-back situations. SF/PF LeBron James logged center minutes Sunday, and afterward he told reporters he didn't like it. Awesome! Look, the 76ers weren't going to win every game, but they desperately need more rebounding. James is averaging 16.3 PPG so far thanks to poor shooting (42.9% FG, 63.2% FT), but I expect more like 18 PPG. It will improve. I still think James appears in more than 65 games this season. Now feels like a good time to trade for him.
I really don't care whether 76ers SF/SG Jaylen Brown and former Boston Celtics teammate PF/SF Jayson Tatum like each other or not. Many people who work together aren't pals, you know, so why would they be pals later? What a silly story. I care that Brown missed 15 of 20 shots on Sunday, but we must view that outing as aberrant. The Pistons defend well. The 76ers play them again only two more times. Brown and PG/SG Tyrese Maxey are both averaging a ton of minutes so far, and fantasy managers should embrace it. Maxey is the clear star here, but Brown can average roughly 24-25 PPG this season, too.
It's way too early to worry about top 50 players from drafts, but I can say if drafting again, Miami Heat C/PF Bam Adebayo would not be in my top 50. He is averaging 11.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG and shooting 40% FG through four games, and what's up with the 61.5% FT? It just feels like a clunky fit with newcomer PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo. Adebayo will improve his shooting, but I doubt he averages close to 20 PPG or 10 RPG like last season. Miami's offense finally ran through Giannis on Monday, when he had 11 assists. He had nine total in the first three games. PG Davion Mitchell, who had 26 assists in three games, delivered only two on Monday. Ah, I liked Mitchell. Oh well, that's over. It's all Giannis, and the Heat remain winless.
Nobody expected much from the Sacramento Kings, of course, but two things stand out so far, and neither has anything to do with SG/SF Zach LaVine, who can't average 29 PPG for long (you have been warned). One is that C/PF Domantas Sabonis looks awesome, and my preseason prediction of him winning his fourth rebounding title in five seasons is off to a solid start. The other thing to watch is rookie PG Darius Acuff Jr., because the volume of missed shots is staggering. Acuff is shooting 32.9% through three games and a brutal 14.8% from 3-point range. I don't see him piling on the assists in an offense run by Sabonis, but he must shoot better than this or fantasy managers cannot count on him.
Keep an eye on Memphis Grizzlies SF/SG Cedric Coward this week. Coward missed Friday's game with the Golden State Warriors with a wrist injury, got dropped by some leagues, and then he delivered double-doubles Sunday and Monday. I think a real star lurks here, that he ultimately leads the Grizzles in scoring at like 18 PPG. I mean, good for PG Ty Jerome so far, but 29.8 PPG is wild. Coward is the future star here and remains available in more than 57% of ESPN leagues. Get him!