Saddiq Bey has scored in double figures in every game, made seven of his first 16 threes, and given the New Orleans Pelicans efficient offense during an 0-3 start.

He's done it while averaging fewer than 24 minutes per night.

That makes his playing time worth a closer look. Jamahl Mosley has several problems to address, but giving Bey more run is an adjustment supported by his production. Some of those minutes could come from Bennedict Mathurin, particularly in combinations alongside Dejounte Murray.

The challenge for the Pelicans is making that change without disrupting a reserve group that has given New Orleans some encouraging stretches.

Making his minutes count

Bey is averaging 15.7 points and four rebounds in 23.7 minutes. He's made half his shots and 10 of 12 at the free throw line, giving him a 66.6% true shooting percentage, highest among Pelicans who've appeared in all three games.

Through those appearances, Bey has shown the different ways he can contribute.

Against Utah, he scored 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting. In Denver, he went 3-for-9 but posted 14 points by getting to the line and converting six times. He also finished with three assists and only one turnover.

Last season showed that Bey could handle a sizeable workload. He averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 64 starts, shooting 45.6% overall and 37.7% from three.

His eight appearances off the bench were much less productive, but they came early in the season.

Those 64 starts do establish that Bey can handle the minutes. His opening week gives Mosley a reason to increase them.

Where the minutes could come from

Mathurin's minutes alongside Murray are a reasonable place to begin.

In roughly 18 minutes together the Pelicans have scored 102.7 points per 100 possessions while allowing 164.9, a net negative of 62.2 points. That's an extreme number generated from a tiny sample, and it describes how the entire lineup performed during those minutes.

Still, the results deserve some attention. Bey's minutes with Murray have also been negative, but the Pelicans have scored more efficiently and allowed considerably fewer points in those stretches.

Mosley could move a few of Mathurin's minutes alongside Murray to Bey and see what happens. That would give a productive scorer more time while testing whether the change helps the group defend, rebound, and generate better possessions.

There is no need to settle a starting job to make that adjustment.

Preserve a promising reserve group

Reducing Mathurin's role does require some caution because he's also contributed to one of the Pelicans' more successful combos.

The lineup of Bey, Herb Jones, Mathurin, Jordan Poole, and Derik Queen has played about 21 minutes. It's scored 126.7 points per 100 possessions while allowing 112.5.

Those results give Mosley a reason to keep developing that group. The same four perimeter players with Karlo Matkovic replacing Queen have also played well, although they've been limited to seven minutes together.

Rebounding needs work. The Queen lineup has collected just 60.9% of available defensive rebounds. Extra possessions for opponents can quickly erase the benefits gained from an efficient offense.

The positive stretches do complicate an across-the-board reduction in Mathurin's minutes. His time on the court with Murray and his minutes in that reserve group have produced very different results. Mosley has to account for that difference when deciding where to make changes.

The same applies to Bey's defense. He's a willing defender, but there are concerns. These lineup numbers can't show how well he's defended individually, but they show the Pelicans have found groups that can succeed with him on the floor.

Bey's shooting percentages will fluctuate over the course of 82 games. A larger role means he has to defend, rebound, and keep making good decisions when shots stop falling.

For now, he's contributed in each of the first three games and shown he can score through an uneven shooting night. Giving him a few more minutes alongside Murray, while preserving the productive reserve combinations, is a logical next step.

The Pelicans need to get more from their rotation. Bey has earned a chance to help them do it.