New Orleans Pelicans Reveal Big Injury News on Two Star Players

The Pelicans could get CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray back on the court soon after revealing their latest injury status.

New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green at a press conference during the game against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The beginning of this season has been turbulent for the New Orleans Pelicans on the court. New Orleans sits last in the Western Conference standings, with a 4-13 record on the year. Injuries have played a major role in the slow start, but the Pelicans are hopeful the return of some key guys can turn this season around.

Ahead of Monday night's matchup with the Indiana Pacers, the team announced two stars are close to returning to the court. Veteran guard CJ McCollum is upgraded to questionable after missing the last 13 games with a right abductor strain. His return gives New Orleans a pivotal boost in outside shooting, with McCollum setting the franchise record for three-pointers in a season last year.

CJ McCollum (right adductor strain) was upgraded to questionable for tomorrow's game at Indiana.

Dejounte Murray (left hand fracture) was also upgraded to doubtful.

Both were able to go through contact drills on Saturday. Pels backcourt is about to be back soon.

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) November 24, 2024

In addition to McCollum, former all-star guard Dejounte Murray was upgraded to doubtful for the game. The former University of Washington standout was the team's prized offseason acquisition after trading for the dynamic guard this summer. New Orleans traded Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, Jr., Cody Zeller, E.J. Liddell, and two future first-round picks to acquire Murray from the Atlanta Hawks.

Murray's regular season debut against the Chicago Bulls was the only game he's played this year after fracturing his hand late in the fourth quarter of the Pelicans' win. Murray finished the game with 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.

Since losing their starting backcourt so early in the season, the Pelicans offense has sputtered all season. New Orleans is last in the league in points per game (103.8) and second-to-last in three-pointers made per game (11). That should change drastically with the re-inserting of two of their best players.

Tip-off for Monday's game against the Indian Pacers is set for 6:00 p.m. CST.

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