Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray will be sidelined indefinitely due to a fracture in his left hand. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ season-opening 123-111 victory against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, with the team officially confirming the news on Thursday.
Murray had an impressive performance in the game, accumulating 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds with only one turnover. He did not address the media following the contest as he was set to undergo imaging to assess the severity of his injury and the expected recovery time.
“Hopefully, he’s not out too long,” stated Pelicans guard CJ McCollum. He noted that Murray continued to play despite expressing discomfort with his hand during the fourth quarter. “He looked at me and said his hand didn’t feel right. He just continued to play… He battled through, he played and played well considering those circumstances.”
Murray was brought to the Pelicans in a high-profile offseason trade with Atlanta, which resulted in a package including Pelicans 2022 first-round draft pick Dyson Daniels, veteran forward Larry Nance, and two future first-round picks for the Hawks.
His participation in the season opener had already been in question prior to the injury due to a family emergency that had caused him to leave the team in the days leading up to the game. “Dejounte had a rough week,” McCollum said. “He played well considering he’d been gone for so long.” He remarked on Murray’s near triple-double performance, noting that he would continue to be a valuable asset for the team throughout the season.
While Murray is expected to miss some time, fellow swingman Trey Murphy III has been cleared to begin the return-to-play conditioning phase of his rehabilitation, although he is anticipated to be out for another two weeks.
Murray’s contributions were crucial for New Orleans, especially in light of star power forward Zion Williamson’s absence due to illness. The Pelicans’ next game is scheduled for Friday night against Portland, marking the start of a four-game road trip on the West Coast.