The Pelicans will be without starting point guard Dejounte Murray indefinitely after he fractured his hand in a win over the Chicago Bulls. The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter. Murray attempted a three-pointer that was contested by Chicago’s Zach Lavine. Murray landed awkwardly and it’s believed that his hand fractured on impact. Some Pelicans teammates tried to help him off the floor, but Murray was already favoring his left hand.
The severity of the fracture will determine how long Murray is out. A rough estimate may have him returning in 4-to-6 weeks, but the team will provide more clarity as Murray is further evaluated. Either way, the Pelicans will be without their starting guard and prized offseason acquisition for the foreseeable future.
It’s a crushing blow for a team already dealing with a packed injury report. Forward Trey Murphy missed the team’s season opener and is expected to be out for two weeks while nursing a hamstring injury. Zion Williamson was also out on Wednesday with an illness but expects to rejoin the team later this week.
With Murray out, expect CJ McCollum to slide back to the point guard role. McCollum will share playmaking responsibilities with Brandon Ingram. The pair combined for 56 points on 22-of-42 shooting in the 123-111 win over Chicago. As far as filling in Murray’s starting spot, it’s likely that sophomore Jordan Hawkins will be promoted. Hawkins led all bench players with 28 minutes on Wednesday, registering 13 points and 7 rebounds on 4-of-9 shooting (3-of-6 from three).
New Orleans has one of the deepest rosters in basketball, but that depth will be tested with Murray on the mend. Pelicans head coach Willie Green is no stranger to navigating through parts of the season without his best players. However, losing a recently acquired starter to injury in his first game is a devastating result. We’ll see how the Pelicans respond to early adversity in the young NBA season.
