NBA Rumors: It's only been one game but the New Orleans Pelicans are already fighting the injury bug.
The New Orleans Pelicans can't seem to get out of their own way. Years ago, this was a team that was constantly given the short stick with injuries to Anthony Davis in which he would get hurt at inopportune times. In the post-AD era, the Pelicans have continued to be struck by the injury bug with Zion Williamson through the first few years of his career. As the Pelicans cruised to an opening night win over the Chicago Bulls, it thankfully wasn't an injury to Zion this time around (which ironically he ended up missing the game anyway due to an illness).
Instead, it was Dejounte Murray, the team's prized offseason acquisition, who suffered an injury on opening night. The early reports indicate that Murray broke his hand in the season-opening game against the Bulls. The belief is that the injury happened at some point during the fourth quarter of the Pelicans' win. Murray finished with 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds before he exited the game.
While there has been no official timeline on how long Murray is expected to be out of the lineup, there's an expectation that Murray will miss at least a month.
The New Orleans Pelicans must avoid the injury bug
Even though this is not a catastrophic injury to Murray, it also isn't ideal for a team that is still learning how the play with each other. If Murra does only miss a month of the season, the Pelicans should be fine, assuming they can avoid any other big injury.
If the Pelicans are going to be successful this season, a big part of their goal for the season is to avoid the injury bug. It's not just about the ankle sprains or the expected bumps and bruises that naturally arise over the course of a regular season. It's about avoiding the big injuries that force players to miss a chunk of the season.
With this specific injury to Murray, the Pelicans are not just losing him for a month of the season. They're also losing valuable time that the team could've used to build chemistry and rhythm with each other.
It's a long season but in the Western Conference, with how competitive it is, the Pelicans, or any other team for that matter, don't have the luxury of wasting time or losing ground in the standings.
The Pelicans should be able to surprise the loss of Murray for a month, give or take. But avoiding another "chunk" injury over the next month or so will be key to their ability to remain afloat in the West.