Subscribe
Follow Us
The New Orleans Pelicans didn't suffer another serious injury after all. After leaving his team's preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday with a non-contact injury to his right leg, Pelicans wing Naji Marshall has been officially diagnosed with a bone bruise and is unlikely to miss a significant chunk of the regular season.
“The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Naji Marshall, who hyperextended his right knee during the second quarter of yesterday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, has been diagnosed with a bone bruise following an MRI taken this morning,” the team said in a statement. “Marshall will be reevaluated in two weeks.”
The injury occurred when Marshall contested a shot from Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu. He came down awkwardly on his right leg, immediately falling to the floor before being taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
Naji Marshall's status is sigh of relief for injury-plagued Pelicans
A two-week reevaluation period ensures Marshall will miss the Pelicans' season-opener against the Memphis Grizzles on October 25th, and likely their second game vs. the New York Knicks three days later. While an October 30th tilt with the Golden State Warriors falls outside that window, Marshall will likely need to re-acclimate on the practice floor before making his 2023-24 NBA debut. Assuming no setbacks, expect him to return some time in early November.
That timetable serves as a major sigh of relief for New Orleans, snake-bitten by injuries dating back to last season. Key backups Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. have yet to play in the preseason and also missed all of training camp with ankle injuries. Ascending third-year wing Trey Murphy III, meanwhile, will be out until some point in December after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in early September.
Among the deepest teams in basketball when fully healthy, the Pelicans could enter the regular season absent their four top bench players. Expect sophomore lottery pick Dyson Daniels and rookie sharpshooter Jordan Hawkins to get additional playing time with Marshall sidelined, especially if Alvarado also isn't back in the lineup once the real games begin.
The Pelicans finish preseason action on Tuesday against the Orlando Magic.
