Dejounte Murray shares encouraging recovery sign, Pelicans fans won't want to miss

The 2024-25 season for the New Orleans Pelicans was one marked by injuries, off-court struggles, and disasters. No disaster was much bigger than when Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles on January 31st against the Boston Celtics.

During the 2024 offseason, the Pelicans front office was searching for someone to run the show, someone who could lead on and off the court. And they believed they found that guy in Dejounte Murray, but between personal issues he had to deal with and fracturing his hand and tearing his Achilles, his time with the NOLA last season only lasted 31 games.

With the average timetable for recovering from an Achilles tear being 10-12 months, many fans expected Murray's return not to come till the New Year or even following the All-Star break. However, after a video of Murray converting an alley-oop has surfaced, fans think he may be ahead of schedule.

I'm going to state the obvious: I'm not a doctor and never claimed to be. Still, I feel like being able to participate in basketball activities 6 months after tearing your Achilles is an extremely promising sign.

The sooner Dejounte Murray is healthy, the sooner the Pelicans are really players in the jammed-packed Western Conference. He opens everything up for them and gives this team a true top 10 point guard who is a two-way threat on both ends.

In his last season with the San Antonio Spurs before becoming an off-guard to Trae Young in Atlanta, Murray showed just how good he can be when being tasked with running the show. He posted averages of 21.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and two steals per game, making an All-Star appearance in the process. If Murray can get back to this form once returning from injury, the sky's the limit for New Orleans next season.

Murray appears to be highly locked in

All offseason, Murray has been sharing encouraging signs that he is in a great place with his recovery. It started with a Snapchat post of him weighing 14 pounds heavier then he was before injury, and now, 6 months into his recovery, he is back to basketball activities.

Murray has always been someone who loves to prove his doubters wrong and turn his haters into motivators. This is why I wouldn't be surprised if Murray comes back earlier than expected and is playing with a huge chip on his shoulder this season. People continue to forget about him when talking about the Pelicans, and I can promise you Murray has made a note of that.

With all this added motivation, I can't wait to see the type of energy Dejounte Murray brings this season for the New Orleans Pelicans.