Pelicans Notes: Bey, Fears, Murphy, Zion, Alvarado

The NBA does not have a comeback participant of the yr award just like the NFL, but when it did, Saddiq Bey can be among the many frontrunners, says Rod Walker of NOLA.com.

The Pelicans wing missed all the 2024/25 whereas recovering from a torn ACL, however he has been extremely productive in his first season in New Orleans, averaging 17.4 factors, 5.8 rebounds and a pair of.6 assists on .455/.355/.853 capturing splits in 54 appearances, together with 46 begins (30.8 minutes per recreation).

Bey scored a season-high 42 factors (on 14-of-20 capturing) in Thursday’s victory at Utah. He additionally contributed seven assists and 5 rebounds in 34 minutes.

As Walker writes, Bey was one thing of an afterthought within the offseason commerce that despatched Jordan Poole to New Orleans and CJ McCollum to Washington. But the 26-year-old has been one of many Pelicans’ finest gamers this season, which interim head coach James Borrego admits he “didn’t envision” coming into ’25/26.

“He deserves the credit because he works on it every day“Borrego said.”He doesn’t take a day as a right. I feel all of us ought to be taught from Saddiq. I’ve values ​​day by day. Every day he will get to stroll into an NBA health club, he values ​​it. And he treats it with nice care and respect. …He’s actually elevated this program.”

Here’s extra from New Orleans:

• Borrego praised Jeremiah Fears after the rookie guard recorded his second profession double-double in Saturday’s victory in Utah, in line with walker. “His poise, his play-making settled us“said Borrego.”His tempo. You felt him early. Especially when he rebounds like that, we’re gone. To rebound like that at his dimension and place simply fuels our offense. And he continues to develop defensively, making havoc performs on the market. I see a targeted younger man. I assumed he was unbelievable tonight.” Fears, the seventh general choose in final yr’s draft, completed with 18 factors, a career-high 11 rebounds, and 5 assists in 34 minutes off the bench.
• The Pelicans will get their main scorer again on Sunday, as Trey Murphy III has been upgraded to out there for tonight’s recreation on the Clippers after lacking 5 straight video games with a proper shoulder contusion (press release link). ahead Zion Williamsonwho exited Saturday’s recreation within the second quarter with a proper ankle damage and did not return, is questionable Sunday on the second of a back-to-back.
• In an interview with William Guillory of The Athletic, Jose Alvarado stated it was “bittersweet” to be traded to his hometown Knicks forward of the deadline. The former Pelicans guard additionally detailed his shut bond with New Orleans and its followers. “They felt the love that I had for the city and it was real love,“Alvarado told The Athletic.”There was nothing fake about it. New Orleans will always be home to me. I always said New Orleans is a gritty, tough city and you can never knock them down. We saw Mother Nature, whoever, try to bring New Orleans down and they always rise back up with their heads held high. I just think that’s how I carry myself, too, and they saw that in me. Obviously, where I grew up is very different from New Orleans, but I feel like my mindset is very similar to a lot of people from there. They saw how I play and how much passion I show every time I’m out there. That’s how they want someone to represent the city. They showed me genuine love and I always tried to show the same thing to them.”