The plan is complete, the wait is over. Everyone around the training facility and the family room can breathe a sigh of relief. More than 13 months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon, Dejounte Murray made his long-awaited season debut for the under-the-microscope New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 13 points, dishing out three assists, and grabbing two rebounds in 25 minutes during a 113-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
For Murray, getting back on the floor was about more than just physical rehabilitation. It was about maintaining a connection with an organization that made him a priority during the darkest days of recovery.
“Absolutely. You know, for me it was just to take care of my mental,” Murray began. “Mainly with my body, I wanted to be in a position to play. Shout out to my team that I had helping in LA. The Pelicans were doing well, connected, and coming in. They probably came seven times to check on me and make sure everything was going well. And at the end of the day, Joe Dumars and I talk a lot. And the plan that, you know, we built, we executed to perfection. You know, that's why Dejounte was able to play today.”
That frequent travel from New Orleans to Los Angeles represented a significant shift for a franchise Murray had publicly criticized just months earlier for failing to provide adequate support during his first injury-plagued season with the team. The relationship began to mend when Dumars took over as head of basketball operations following last season.
The new front office initiated direct conversations with Murray about his concerns and implemented changes based on the guard's feedback.
“They did great, and all that's up to the doctors,” Murray explained. “Great on the staff. They came together with our medical staff. On the communication parts, everything, we had been communicating since this morning all the way to, you know, the game. So, like I said, the win that matters. Grateful for that. We got the win and are ready to build from it.”
Murray's conditioning appeared intact in his first game action of the season, even if his shot wasn't quite there. He was unbothered by the box score, pointing instead to how his body held up as the real measure of success on the night.
“The buckets are going to come,” Murray shrugged. “I felt like I was active. I felt good with lateral movements, running up and down. You know, my condition was good. So, that's just a credit to my hard work and dedication.”
New Orleans came away with a win in Murray's debut, and the 29-year-old made clear the result was what mattered most as Borrego's rebuilding Pelicans look to build momentum heading into the offseason. The former All-Star, who averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.3 rebounds during his 2022 All-Star season with the San Antonio Spurs, now has fewer than two dozen games to demonstrate he can still be an elite option to lead a new era of bayou basketball.
