There’s no way of summing up the New Orleans Pelicans season in a way that gets around the fact that the season was a disappointment in the Big Easy.
With the Pelicans failing to clear their preseason win total of 44.5 by 2.5 games (finishing the year with a 42-40 mark) and franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson missing 53 games with injuries, it’s no surprise that the season was a bit of letdown for Pelicans fans, and less friendly for those using Louisiana sportsbooks.
If you do some digging, you’ll find that there was a sliver of a silver lining for the Willie Green-coached club, however, with a pair of Pelicans finishing in the top-12 league wide when it comes to on-court value during the year.
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Most Underrated NBA Players of 2022-23 Season
For this study, LouisianaBets.com utilized Basketball-Reference.com to find the cap hit and point shares of every NBA player during the 2022-23 NBA regular season. After doing the math of the $ per point share for each player in the league, we determined the 25 most value-driven players from this season. Salary and point shares were included for all teams the player was on during the 2022-23 season.
| Rank | Player Name | Cap Hit (2022-23) | Point Shares (2022-23)* | $ Per Point Share* |
| 1 | Warriors F Anthony Lamb | $694,878 | 2.4 | $289,533 |
| 2 | Lakers F Austin Reaves | $1,563,518 | 5.4 | $289,540 |
| 3 | Wizards F/C Daniel Gafford | $1,930,681 | 6.1 | $316,505 |
| 4 | Knicks G Immanuel Quickley | $2,316,240 | 6.7 | $345,707 |
| 5 | Rockets F Kenyon Martin Jr. | $1,782,621 | 4.9 | $363,800 |
| 6 | Grizzlies G Desmond Bane | $2,130,240 | 5.8 | $367,283 |
| 7 | Jazz F/C Walker Kessler | $2,696,400 | 7.1 | $379,775 |
| 8 | Pelicans F Trey Murphy III | $3,206,520 | 7.6 | $421,911 |
| T-9 | Hornets F/C Nick Richards | $1,782,621 | 4.2 | $424,434 |
| T-9 | Grizzlies F/C Xavier Tillman | $1,782,621 | 4.2 | $424,434 |
| 11 | Pelicans F Herbert Jones | $1,785,000 | 4.2 | $425,000 |
| 12 | Trailblazers F/C Drew Eubanks | $1,968,175 | 4.4 | $447,313 |
| 13 | Clippers G/F Terance Mann | $1,930,681 | 4.3 | $448,996 |
| 14 | Grizzlies F Santi Aldama | $2,094,120 | 4.6 | $455,243 |
| 15 | T-Wolves F/C Luka Garza | $508,891 | 1.1 | $462,628 |
| 16 | Knicks G Quentin Grimes | $2,277,000 | 4.8 | $474,375 |
| 17 | Nuggets F/C Thomas Bryant | $1,968,175 | 4.1 | $480,042 |
| 18 | Celtics F Sam Hauser | $1,637,966 | 3.4 | $481,755 |
| 19 | Thunder G Isaiah Joe | $1,836,090 | 3.8 | $483,182 |
| 20 | T-Wolves F Jaden McDaniels | $2,161,440 | 4.4 | $491,236 |
| 21 | 76ers G Tyrese Maxey | $2,726,880 | 5.4 | $504,978 |
| 22 | Spurs G Tre Jones | $1,782,621 | 3.4 | $524,300 |
| 23 | Jazz G Kris Dunn | $1,000,001 | 1.9 | $526,316 |
| 24 | Heat G Max Strus | $1,815,677 | 3.4 | $534,023 |
| 25 | Bulls G Ayo Dosunmu | $1,563,518 | 2.9 | $539,144 |
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Why Murphy and Jones Were Great Values For Pelicans In 2022-23
The Pelicans may have failed to live up to their preseason betting odds on places like bet365 Louisiana, but they did find a way to land two of their players on the NBA’s value leaderboard.
New Orleans finished as one of five teams to have multiple players in the top 25 of our value leaderboard, along with the Grizzlies, who had three players, and the Wolves, Jazz, and Knicks, who had two players apiece.
Between Murphy — who finished eighth on our list with 7.6 point shares and a dollar per point share of $421,911 this year — and Jones (who finished 11th overall with 4.2 point shares and a $ per point share of $425,500), the Pelicans were well represented on the NBA’s value leaderboard.
On the flip side, 11 NBA teams didn’t have a single player make the top 25, including six that made the NBA Playoffs (Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Sacramento, Brooklyn, and Phoenix), showing how far the Pelicans made it with such a youthful roster in 2022-23.
Remember that you can use Louisiana sports betting apps while betting on the Pelicans and additional NBA teams.
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