Dejounte Murray is set to make his return to the court on Nov. 27 against the Toronto Raptors after being out with a fractured hand. Murray has missed the last 17 games with the injury, but he's also been out for personal reasons, according to Pelicans reporter Will Guillory.

“Dejounte Murray said he was away from the team before the season because his mother had a stroke,” Guillory wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Said dealing with his injury and his mother's recovery was a lot mentally. Murray added that his mother is doing better and he's ready to come back and help the Pels make a push.”

The Pelicans have been dealing with the most injuries in the league this season, and it's mostly been their star players. Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and Zion Williamson have all missed some time this season, and the hope is that they can have a fully healthy roster by the end of December.

Dejounte Murray returning soon for Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) dribbles against Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) during the first half at Smoothie King Center.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Dejounte Murray was one of the first injuries that the Pelicans had on their roster early in the season, but it was evident when he was on the court that he impacted the game. After the game where he initially got injured, Brandon Ingram spoke highly of Murray's play.

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“(Murray) shared the basketball and we got stops on the defensive end,” Ingram said. “(The Pelicans) executed and knew what Chicago wanted to do out of the pick and roll. We knew where some of their weaknesses were and we attacked it all night. We got threes up, got to the lane, and got to the free-throw line.

“He is an open communicator and receptive to information…It's really fun because you notice when he is struggling (shooting) he is doing other things on the floor, especially defensively. (Murray) had 10 assists tonight. Looking up and you see on the scoreboard, it's like d—.”

The Pelicans will gladly welcome Murray back to the lineup, and he'll be the piece they need to get others involved. Murray works best in the pick-and-roll, as he's shown throughout his career, and he's either going to find a shot for himself or a teammate. On defense, Murray can be a disruptor in the passing lanes and can be a solid help defender when needed.

The Pelicans have some ground to cover in the Western Conference, but once they get a few reinforcements back, they could mak things interesting.