The New Orleans Pelicans are worried that former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray has a fractured left hand, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
The injury seemingly occurred with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's season-opening 123-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Murray, making his debut with the Pelicans, went up for a 3-pointer with his team leading by 12, but was contested by Zach LaVine and took a hard fall.
Likely the play where Dejounte injured his left hand. He didn't want to be helped up by that hand pic.twitter.com/P8OYQGcERx
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) October 24, 2024
The Pelicans played Wednesday's game shorthanded. Zion Williamson was out with an illness, and Trey Murphy missed the game as he deals with a hamstring strain. New Orleans overcame those absences to beat the Bulls in part because they got 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds out of Murray.
The Pelicans landed Murray in an offseason trade with the Atlanta Hawks. In that deal, they gave up two key reserves in Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas also left in free agency, and so did key wing Naji Marshall. The Pelicans consciously sacrificed depth for a more top-heavy roster this season. That plan can work if the players at the top of the roster stay healthy, but thus far in this short season, the Pelicans have struggled on that front.
The timeline for a return after a hand fracture varies depending on the exact nature of the injury. At this stage, it is unclear how much time the Pelicans could spend without their starting point guard. Given the absences they're already dealing with, though, they'll need him back as soon as possible.
