New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray suffered a fractured left hand during Wednesday night's season-opening win over the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. He is expected to be sidelined for "an extended period of time."
The injury appeared to occur with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter as Murray made his debut with the Pelicans. The former All-Star 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 123-111 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. It appears it could be a pretty lengthy absence. And given the absences they're already dealing with, they will need him back as soon as possible.
