The 2023-24 season has not even started and the New Orleans Pelicans already find themselves dealing with problems. Injuries plagued this organization a season ago and now, they are set to begin the new year without Trey Murphy III.
On Thursday, the team announced that Murphy underwent a partial meniscectomy and received a biologic injection in his left knee stemming from a meniscus injury he suffered earlier in the week. The former first-round pick is now set to miss the next 10-to-12 weeks before resuming basketball activities, meaning that he could be sidelined through the month of November.
A breakout performer this past season, Murphy's injury is absolutely deflating to the Pelicans. He stepped up when Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson were both dealing with their injuries this past year and it is not hard to say that Murphy was one of the league's most improved players. Between his confidence and scoring abilities, the 23-year-old was set to hold a huge role for his team to begin the new season.
That is not longer the case for Murphy and New Orleans, as his absence may very well have some drastic effects on this team. Pertaining to Ingram and Williamson, a lot more pressure if now cast on the Pels' two stars, as removing a key part of the rotation in Murphy adds strain and concern.
The impact of Murphy's absence
Without Murphy available either in or out of the Pelicans' starting rotation, this team is in danger of getting off to a slow start. Seeing as the Western Conference is stacked with competitive teams and they came up short of the playoffs a season ago, this would not be a good sign for New Orleans.
The Pelicans won 23 of their first 35 games to begin the 2022-23 season and they were right at the top of the conference standings. Then Williamson suffered a hamstring injury, followed by Ingram being in and out of the lineup due to multiple injuries. When all was said and done, this team finished with a 42-40 record. Zion only played in 29 games and Ingram missed close to half the season.
As things stand right now ahead of training camp, both Ingram and Williamson appear to be healthy and ready to go, which is great news for the Pelicans. However, neither star is going to be available for the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
Since being drafted first overall in 2019, the most games Zion has played in a season was 61 during his second year in the NBA. For Ingram, he played in the same amount of games as his All-Star teammate during the 2020-21 season, the most he has played in over the last three seasons.
It is just inevitable that the two Pelicans stars will miss some games throughout the year, the team obviously hoping that they sit out games for nothing more than rest of soreness. The fact that Ingram and Williamson have had trouble staying on the court is why Murphy is such an important part of this roster.
Aside from having a breakout year, one in which he averaged 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range, Murphy also played in 79 of the team's 82 games. He's durable, he's a two-way player and the young forward can really play any position.
With Ingram and Williamson healthy, Murphy likely would've been moved to the team's bench to begin the year, but he would have been the spark of scoring this team has lacked in their second unit. Now, this extra scoring production is gone, which puts more pressure on the team's stars.
Herbert Jones is more of a defensive option than he is a scoring option for this team, plus the Pelicans' depth at the forward spots is slightly questionable. Naji Marshall will undoubtedly see his role increase to begin the year and Larry Nance Jr. will also be a focal point coming off the bench behind Williamson. Nance had trouble staying healthy last year, though, as he played in 65 of the team's 82 games.
Dyson Daniels is another player who will likely see his minutes increase in wake of Murphy's injury. Drafted eighth overall in 2022, Daniels is listed as a point guard, but he can play and defend multiple positions due to his playmaking abilities on offense and his length on defense.
Even without Murphy, this team still clearly has talent and their offense will be led by Williamson, Ingram and CJ McCollum. This is one of the better scoring trios in the league and when healthy, New Orleans has proven to be a threat. Then again, depth matters nowadays and where the Pelicans receive offensive production in their second unit is now a big question mark.
Murphy, a player who could start for many teams around the league, was set to enter his third year taking a lot of pressure off of Zion and Ingram to do everything. Now, the tall task of carrying the team's offense load once again falls on the injury-prone stars, that is until their teammate returns from his knee injury.
When Trey Murphy III could return
Since he just underwent surgery for his partially torn meniscus, there is no definitive date laid out for Murphy's potential return to the court. What we do know is that he will miss the start of the regular season for the Pelicans and the team said he will resume basketball activities in 10-to-12 weeks.
Based on this timeline reveled by the organization, 10 weeks from the time of his surgery would be November 16, just less than a month into the 2023-24 season. As for the back-end of this timeline, 12 weeks from the time of surgery would be November 30, over a month since the start of the new season.
It is worth mentioning that these are not potential dates for his return to the court in an actual game, as Murphy will need time to work his way back to full speed in practice and scrimmages. With this in mind, it is safe to assume that the young forward will not be ready to make his season debut with the team until sometime in December, possibly January if he recovery takes longer than expected. As a result, Murphy could wind up missing upwards of 25 games to begin the new season.
No matter when he returns, the Pelicans are going to face a challenge offensely without their 2021 first-round pick available and on the floor. Granted they were without Williamson and Ingram for a vast majority of last season, New Orleans is coming off a year where they ranked just 21st in offensive rating and 15th in points per game. They even ranked 23rd in the league in total bench points.
Having reliable secondary scoring has been a glaring weakness of this team. This is why the production they would've received early on from Murphy in his sixth man role would've been monumental. With their offensive production taking a hit before the season even begins, the Pelicans will need to focus on being a great defensive team, an area where they have thrived in the last couple of years.
The upcoming 2023-24 season is going to be extremely important for this franchise seeing as they have some big decisions looming in the near future. Ingram will be in the final year of his contract following this season, Williamson remains a question mark until he proves that he can play a full season, and big man Jonas Valanciunas is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
The Pelicans are going to need to find success in order to continue building this core that they have invested a lot of time and resources into. When healthy, New Orleans can be a real threat in the Western Conference given their athleticism and depth. This has been their downfall, though, as the Pels consistently seem to keep their team doctors and trainers busy.
Trey Murphy III is the latest name to hit the Pelicans' injury report, already casting a level of concern on this team's chances to get off to a fast start in the new season.
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