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The New Orleans Pelicans won their season opener over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, but it came at a grave cost. All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray, whom the team sacrificed numerous assets for in the offseason, suffered a fractured left hand in the first game of the 2024-25 season and is now out indefinitely.
Initially, news of Murray possibly suffering a significant hand injury came as a surprise given that he didn't seem all that bothered at first when the injury seemed to occur late in the fourth quarter. After being fouled by Bulls star Zach LaVine on a three-point attempt, Murray fell backwards and pushed his hands behind him to help break his fall. All of Murray's weight fell on his left hand/wrist, and he immediately grabbed at said hand while wincing. However, he did not exit the game until head coach Willie Green emptied his bench.
Once the game was over, news began to surface of Murray potentially suffering a fractured left hand. Shortly after, further scans and imaging confirmed the worst for the Pelicans.
Murray is now set to be sidelined for numerous weeks, and the team did not give a definitive timeline for his return to on-court activities. New Orleans has not said whether Murray's hand injury will require surgery.
It is safe to assume that since the Pelicans did not give an update as to when Murray would be reevaluated, he will most likely miss the entirety of November.
This is a significant loss for the Pelicans, who are already dealing with early-season injuries. Aside from Zion Williamson missing the season opener due to an illness, New Orleans has also been without Trey Murphy III throughout the preseason. Murphy, who just put pen to paper on a new $112 million contract extension, has been out since the start of October with a right hamstring strain and won't be reevaluated by the team's medical staff for two more weeks.
Without Murray, the Pelicans will turn to Jose Alvarado and second-year guard Jordan Hawkins in their backcourt. Hawkins played well off the bench against the Bulls, registering 13 points and seven rebounds in 28 total minutes.
The Pelicans will provide further updates on Murray's status at a later time.
