After Dejounte Murray fractures his hand, the Pelicans must overcome injury adversity again

NEW ORLEANS — As Dejounte Murray felt his team put the finishing touches on a 123-111 victory in his New Orleans Pelicans debut Wednesday night, the veteran point guard felt a much sharper sensation in his left hand .

As the clock neared its end, he continued to bend his hand, hoping the pain would go away. After one of his teammates asked him if he was okay, Murray finally verbalized the thoughts going through his mind:

“I think I might have broken my hand.”

Even after letting those words come out of his mouth, Murray refused to accept them. He appeared to suffer an injury with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but he wasn’t taken out of the game until there was a minute left.

“He looked at me and said his hand didn’t feel good,” Pelicans guard CJ McCollum said. “He fought. He played and played well, considering these circumstances.

I think this could be the play when Dejounte Murray injured his left hand.

As Josh Giddey tries to pass him, Murray’s hand gets caught on Giddey’s chest/jersey. pic.twitter.com/APHYK2b15E

– Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) October 24, 2024

During that stretch, Murray even picked up an assist on a Brandon Ingram layup and a couple of free throws after he was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. He finished what was supposed to be a successful night in his first appearance as a member of the Pelicans with 14 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists – and, most importantly, a win.

But once he went to the locker room and spoke with the team doctors, they confirmed his worst fear. According to a league source, postgame imaging showed a fracture in his left hand that will keep the Pelicans’ starting point guard and biggest offseason acquisition for the foreseeable future. The severity of the injury and timing will be determined at a later date.

After spending the entire offseason learning how to operate with Murray leading the offense, the Pelicans will have to adjust again just one game into the regular season.

This is heartbreaking news for a New Orleans team that entered the season with hopes of returning to the playoffs and reshaping its foundation around a new floor general who brings tremendous value on and off of the land. But it’s even more difficult for Murray, who was already playing with a heavy heart before Wednesday’s first game.

Dejounte just posted this on IG.

Dejounte is currently away from the team to deal with personal issues. Status for the season opener is still to be determined.

Prayers for Déjounte pic.twitter.com/ETwvrHTBOn

– Brady (@sideshowbrady) October 22, 2024

Murray missed several days of practice earlier in the week after leaving the team to deal with a family emergency. He returned to New Orleans Tuesday night to ensure he could be there for his team in Wednesday’s opener. After being off the field for a few days, he seemed to be struggling to find his rhythm on offense, but he did all the little things on the field to make sure his impact was still felt.

That’s part of the reason New Orleans has been so persistent in its pursuit of Murray: his tenacity, his unselfishness and his willingness to contribute whatever is necessary to win.

Overcoming heartbreak and impossible odds is nothing new for Murray. It’s something he’s had to deal with his whole life. This should be another obstacle he eventually overcomes.

“I hope he won’t be gone too long. But for us, it’s just about figuring out how to produce at all levels with other guys constantly getting minutes,” McCollum said. “The guys are ready to take on more opportunities as they present themselves. … It’s unfortunate that injuries are part of the game, but they happen sometimes. This is why you need depth in your lineup to compete in an 82-game season.

But what situation will Murray be in once he returns?

Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson was absent from Wednesday’s opener due to an illness that has kept him sidelined in recent days. As New Orleans prepares to depart Thursday afternoon for a four-game West Coast trip, it remains unclear whether Williamson will be healthy enough to join the team for its flight.

New Orleans is already without sharpshooter Trey Murphy – who signed a four-year contract extension worth $112 million on Monday – due to a hamstring strain he suffered earlier this month. Murphy has progressed well in his rehabilitation, but is expected to have at least a few more weeks before returning to the field.

“I don’t know if you all watched our training camp, but we’ve been going through this for weeks,” McCollum joked. “You just control what you can control. …I’m just worried about today. Tomorrow will have enough problems on its own.

Even if Williamson returns relatively soon, being without Murray and Murphy for an extended period of time will be a difficult obstacle to overcome for a group that lost key bench pieces Naji Marshall and Dyson Daniels during the offseason.

When injuries have hit this team in the past, these two have been able to comfortably step in and contribute at a high level. Now, younger players like Jordan Hawkins and Yves Missi will be asked to take on bigger roles alongside new veteran acquisition Javonte Green.

With the abundance of talent this team has on the perimeter with guys like McCollum, Ingram, Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado, they have enough to stay competitive and keep the ship afloat until Williamson, Murray and Murphy are in full health, but this will not be the case. be easy.

To make matters even more complex, any slip-ups resulting from these injuries could have a significant effect on a Western Conference playoff race that will be incredibly competitive all season long. As New Orleans learned the hard way last season, allowing a game-winner or two to slip away could be the difference between having home-court advantage and making the Play-In tournament – ​​or out of the tournament altogether. playoffs.

Combating this adversity and finding ways to pile up wins will be key for the Pelicans to reach their ultimate goal.

But with Murray out, this team will continue its uphill battle to establish chemistry and cohesion with a group that has yet to spend much time together on the court.

Murphy has been out since early October. Ingram missed the first two games of the preseason to physically prepare for the regular season. Williamson also missed the final game of the preseason.

At this point, Williamson, Murray and Ingram have yet to take the field together in a game situation.

Once Williamson returns, there will be an adjustment period. Then, another one once Murphy is back. And another once Murray finally returns.

As other Western teams establish an identity and lay the groundwork for how they want to perform in March and April, the Pelicans will have to continue to aim for a moving target.

For this franchise, which has already dealt with so many injuries in recent years, this outcome on opening night had to be infuriating. Pelicans fans often joke that their team is cursed because of all the struggles they have faced. Once something like that happens on opening night, it confirms all those feelings of inevitability every time bad news hits.

But, like Murray, continually having to face adversity and immense difficulty has toughened this group. They have responded extremely well in the past after depressing injury news or when key members of the rotation weren’t there to contribute.

It’s not ideal, but this group has plenty of experience reacting when their backs are against the wall. Now is the time to show that the current squad is capable of doing the same.

(Photo of Dejounte Murray being helped by teammates as he protects his injured left hand: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)