Dejounte Murray suffers injury after just one game with the Pelicans

Update: Dejounte Murray was confirmed to have a fractured left hand after medical testing late after the game.

The New Orleans Pelicans started off their 2024-25 NBA season with a resounding win over the Chicago Bulls. Despite coming in shorthanded, with Zion Williamson sidelined with an illness and Trey Murphy III still rehabilitating his hamstring strain, the Pels were able to take care of business against a rebuilding Chicago Bulls team, downing them 123-111.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news coming out of season tip off. Not only did New Orleans come into the night with a loaded injury report, they left the game with an even longer one.

Dejounte Murray was questionable for the opener after missing practice due to "personal reasons." It was unclear what troubles he had off of the court, but he pushed through whatever it was and managed to make his debut for the Pelicans in their first game of the season. He had an ugly shooting night but made obvious positive impacts on both ends of the court with his playmaking and defensive activity. Following their victory, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Dejounte may have suffered a fractured left hand.

The Pelicans injury curse rages on, this time getting to Dejounte Murray

It's unclear when Murray suffered the injury, as he played regularly throughout the night and remained in the game until Head Coach Willie Green emptied his bench with the Pelicans leading by 15 with just a minute left. He didn't show any signs of discomfort or pain either, grabbing a rebound and taking the final shot for New Orleans's starters in the waning moments of the contest.

It may be that he fractured his hand early in the game or perhaps even before tip off and just played through the pain. It could be a reason why he finished just 4-15 from the field. Fans are speculating that it happened late in the fourth quarter, however, with film showing Murray favoring his other hand after a bang-bang play. It's notable that he didn't come out of the game after.

Despite his poor shooting, Murray was able to show many reasons why he'll be missed if this injury keeps him out for an extended period, especially as a floor general and point-of-attack defender. He'll have to undergo testing for any conclusions, but this injury could wind up costing him two to three months of action. Chris Paul fractured his left hand last season for the Golden State Warriors, and it ultimately held him out for just under a full month.

Shams's report only states that the Pelicans fear a fractured hand for Murray, so it could turn out to be less severe than expected, especially since he likely played through the injury. Hopefully, the All-Star guard didn't do anymore damage to his hand by toughing his way through it.