Featured Columnist IVOctober 24, 2024
Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE through Getty Pictures
New Orleans Pelicans star guard Dejounte Murray suffered a fractured left hand throughout Wednesday’s season-opening win towards the Chicago Bulls, in accordance with ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Murray is anticipated to overlook “an prolonged time period,” Charania added.
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Checks affirm a fractured left hand for Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray, sources inform ESPN. Murray is now sidelined for an prolonged time period. https://t.co/9XiJPg0ukZ
Murray posted 14 factors, 10 assists and eight rebounds within the 123-111 victory.
Murray, 28, was New Orleans’ main offseason acquisition, because the crew despatched a pair of first-round picks and Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell to the Atlanta Hawks in trade for the veteran level guard.
It was a much more modest return than Atlanta despatched to the San Antonio Spurs (4 first-rounders and Danilo Gallinari) to amass Murray again in 2022.
The Trae Younger and Murray backcourt by no means totally jelled, although the latter did common a career-high 22.5 factors per sport final season and made 201 threes, additionally a profession excessive. However with Younger dealing with main ball-handling duties, Murray appeared barely miscast as an off-ball guard after they shared the court docket.
The addition of Murray gave the Pelicans a real level guard to pair with C.J. McCollum and rounded out a robust core group of that pair alongside Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones. Whereas there have been some query marks about whether or not there can be sufficient of the proverbial basketballs to go round, the Pelicans had undoubtedly gathered a gifted core.
Now, nevertheless, the Pelicans can be with out Murray for a major time period, costing the crew’s prime 4 gamers the possibility to construct chemistry. And given Williamson’s personal historical past of lacking time, the crew is one other damage away from being severely depleted.
