Dejounte Murray is out for the foreseeable future, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Murray fractured his left hand in the New Orleans Pelicans‘ season-opening 123-111 win against the Chicago Bulls. Murray got fouled when attempting a three-pointer and landed awkwardly on his arm. But he still stayed in the game and made two of his three free throws.
Brett Siegel reported that Murray will be out for at least four-to-six weeks. Murray’s injury was the fifth in a rough second night of the new NBA season, as Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Miller, Jonathan Isaac, and James Wiseman all suffered injuries during their teams’ respective games.
Too many injuries across the NBA tonight:
Dejounte Murray (NOP) – feared fractured left hand
Immanuel Quickley (TOR) – right pelvic contusion
Brandon Miller (CHA) – left hip soreness
Jonathan Isaac (ORL) – sore left hip
James Wiseman (IND) – left calf injury
Joel Embiid, Paul…
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) October 24, 2024
Murray had a difficult first game with the Pelicans. While he almost had a triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and one steal, he didn’t shoot the ball well, going 4-15 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Many of his points came from the stripe, as he went 6-7 from the free-throw line.
This injury will be a huge blow for the Pelicans, as they lost Murray well before he got the chance to play with Zion Williamson in an official game. Zion was out tonight and might be for the next game as well due to illness. And by the time he returns, Murray will be well into his recovery period from the fractured hand.
This leaves the Pelicans with just Zion Williamson, and perhaps Brandon Ingram, as their best players on the court. Head coach Willie Green will have to do his best to make sure the team stays afloat in Murray’s absence. Perhaps Jose Alvarado will become the starting point guard in the wake of Murray’s injury.
Pelicans Will Struggle Without Murray
There is no understating how big of a loss this is for the New Orleans Pelicans. Losing a scoring point guard who can distribute the ball and set up teammates is really difficult, and the Pelicans will feel his absence while Murray is away.
Last season with the Hawks, Murray had a decent season, as he averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks. While he didn’t have the same kind of production in his first game with the Pelicans, there is no reason to believe he wouldn’t have reached a similar stat line eventually into the season.
This injury is also going to set Murray back when he returns. Rather than affecting his play, this injury will affect Murray’s chemistry with his new team. The best way to build chemistry on a new team is to get constant reps together. And now that he is set to be out till at least late November, he is missing out on a good chunk of games and will have to build that chemistry upon his return.
The Pelicans should be giving Zion Williamson the green light soon, which will be a big boost for them. But given Zion’s own health issues, they will have to hope that he doesn’t also suffer an injury early into his return.
The New Orleans Pelicans next play the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Stay tuned to Fadeaway World for more updates on Murray, the Pelicans, and the entire NBA, as the new season gets underway.
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