3 Reasons Why New Orleans Pelicans Can Survive Dejounte Murray Injury

The injury to Dejounte Murray is an unfortunate one, but the New Orleans Pelicans can survive it.

Oct 23, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) dribbles against Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans had to be happy about picking up a victory over the Chicago Bulls on the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA regular season.

A 123-111 win was achieved at Smoothie King Center despite Zion Williamson not being healthy enough to play because of an illness. Alas, it wasn’t all positive as the team is dealing with a myriad of injuries.

Trey Murphy missed the game as he deals with a hamstring injury suffered three weeks ago. Herbert Jones had a hard fall early in the second half and bruised his hip. But, the worst injury of them all is Dejounte Murray fracturing his left hand.

He is going to be sidelined indefinitely. At least a few weeks will be missed as this is not how anyone wanted his Pelicans tenure to begin.

While this is a significant blow, it isn’t one that will sink the team. Here are three reasons why New Orleans can survive without Murray in the lineup.

Depth in Backcourt

If there was one position in the team that could overcome a multi-week injury, it was in the backcourt. Jose Alvarado is one of the better backup point guards in the NBA and will likely be seeing more minutes as a result.

We will see CJ McCollum handle the ball more as well, likely shifting over to the starting point guard spot. Brandon Ingram has experience as a point forward as well.

Jordan Hawkins, who was excellent in the opener, can soak up more minutes as the shooting guard. Rookie Antonio Reeves could receive some burn as well until Murphy is ready to return to the lineup.

Experience Without Him

Last season the Pelicans went 49-33 without Murray in the lineup. Some of the pieces are different, as their center rotation has been changed and Dyson Daniels is with the Atlanta Hawks.

But, the core remains virtually the same. 

When Murphy gets back, they are going to be relying on the same main pieces that have made up the foundation of the team for the last few seasons. Murray has the talent to augment that, but they are a group that has proven capable of getting the job done previously.

McCollum, Murphy, Herbert Jones, Williamson and Ingram have an extensive history of playing together. They can revert back to what they know for as long as their new point guard is out of the lineup.

Their Schedule Through November

New Orleans’s schedule through November, which would be about 5 weeks without Murray, has some challenges. They’re on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, and there are three games against the Golden State Warriors.

But, there are some spots they should be able to take advantage of even without him. They play the lowly Portland Trail Blazers three times. The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors, two Eastern Conference teams who have their eye on the 2025 NBA Lottery, are also on the schedule.

The Atlanta Hawks are another non-playoff team on deck. Games against the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will present them with challenges, but are teams on the same tier even without Murray.

If they can handle business against the lower-tier teams, hovering right above the .500 mark until he returns is certainly feasible.