With Dejounte Murray Back, Jamahl Mosley Could have To Make Tough Decision

The New Orleans Pelicans were able to start Jeremiah Fears in the backcourt alone against the Sacramento Kings without any resistance, as Dejounte Murray missed the game. Now with Murray returning, Jamahl Mosley could have to make a tough call.

That win only further proved that the point guards should not be sharing the court anymore. This is not about one player being better than the other; both have had plenty of negatives and positives. The only thing that matters here is that the results with just one on the court remain much better.

Through five games, the Pelicans have a -25.5 net rating in 55 minutes with both point guards. Both offense and defense take a steep dive. Their net rating with just Murray is -8.3. With just Fears, it's a +7.3. What's really telling is that the team is actually a +21.6 with neither on the court.

This is a difficult decision, mostly due to the politics that come along with sending someone to the bench. Both players have arguments as to why they should be out there.

Murray is the far more experienced player and also the far more expensive one. He's set to make $32.8 million this season. Having almost $70 million tied up between two players on the bench between he and Poole is not a great look for the team. Plus, if they do want to move him at some point (a move that would likely make both parties happy), they need him on the court to improve his value.

The thing is, his value is arguably dropping so far. No one can know what's going through Murray's head on any given play, but the body language suggests a ton of frustration. It's not a great look for anyone involved, no matter what is actually happening out there.

If things get smoothed over in the locker room and the offense becomes more open with him on the court, though, he still likely offers more to winning right now than Fears. Murray does have a higher defensive ceiling, can rebound well, and is a better playmaker.

Fears has the overall higher ceiling, though, at just 20 years old. There are going to be a ton of mistakes with him on the court, but there will at least be the benefit of development. He looks far more comfortable when he is the lone point guard, but his reads during plays have still left a lot to be desired. His confidence as a playmaker grew in that last game, though, as he had a career-high 13 assists. 

A lot will be able to be gleaned from what the starting lineup is on Friday night, including if both players still start. There will be an update when the lineup is released.