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New Orleans Pelicans star point guard Dejounte Murray was feared to have suffered a fractured left hand in the team's 123-111 opening night victory over the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. It was later confirmed by Charania that Murray indeed suffered a left-hand fracture and will be missing “an extended period of time.”
Here's the play where Murray appeared to suffer the injury:
Likely the play where Dejounte injured his left hand. He didn't want to be helped up by that hand pic.twitter.com/P8OYQGcERx
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) October 24, 2024
After spending the last two seasons alongside Trae Young on the Atlanta Hawks, Murray was acquired by the Pelicans over the summer in a deal that involved two future first-round picks and four players, including Larry Nance Jr. and former first-round pick Dyson Daniels. Given his two-way nature of play, the Pelicans appeared primed for immediate growth from their 49-33 record from the 2024-25 season.
With Murray going down with what appears to be a serious hand injury, as well as Zion Williamson missing the team's season opener due to an illness, injuries continue to plague New Orleans' chances of finding success.
Murray finished Wednesday night's game with 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds in roughly 30 minutes of play.
Impact of Dejounte Murray's injury
This is a significant development for the Pelicans after their first game of the season, given the way in which head coach Willie Green envisioned utilizing Murray at the point guard position. Whereas the team had CJ McCollum as their only key guard last season, Murray was set to open up the court and fill the gaps for a Pelicans team that truly views themselves as a contender in the West at full strength.
“I think (Murray) can help a ton (in the last five minutes),” Green shared with reporters in the preseason. “I think last season he hit three or four game-winners. When the ball is in his hands, he gets to his spot, raises up, and is confident knocking those shots down. We will rely on him but it is going to be a group effort moving the needle in that area.”
If Murray is set to miss an extended period of time, as the team fears he will, New Orleans will turn to fourth-year guard Jose Alvarado and second-year guard Jordan Hawkins in the backcourt. McCollum will also likely step up and see minutes at the point guard position with Murray on the sideline.
The ongoing injury problems persist for the Pelicans, as they were without Williamson in the season opener, as well as Trey Murphy III. While Williamson sat out with an illness, Murphy is currently rehabbing a hamstring injury he suffered in the preseason. After being awarded a $112 million contract extension right before the start of the 2024-25 season, Murphy is set to be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff by the end of the week.
There is currently no timetable for when Murray will return to the floor in New Orleans.
