The New Orleans Pelicans have
announced Dejounte Murray has injured his left hand and will be
sidelined indefinitely, according to ESPN’s Shams
Charania.

The point guard, who was
acquired by New Orleans this offseason, suffered the injury during
the Pelicans’ opening night win against the Chicago
Bulls. 

According to Charania, tests
have confirmed the injury to the former 1-time all-star. It was
initially reported that the Pelicans ‘feared’ that Murray might
have injured his hand after experiencing discomfort in it in the
second half. Now, those fears were deemed to be true and could be a
setback for the Pelicans, who also missed star forward Zion
Williamson due to illness.

ANALYSIS: This is a huge blow to
the Pelicans in the tough and deep Western Conference. New Orleans
brought Murray in to be the main playmaker for the team that
features scorers like Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum
and also be a closer for the team in clutch situations.

Murray had a very good game
against the Bulls, tallying 14 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds
with only 1 turnover. He commanded the game well against the Bulls,
finding teammates on easy baskets. Murray also played tough defense
as he aims to get back to his usual defensive self with the
Pelicans.

Murray did not speak to
reporters after the game, and McCollum hopes he’s not out for too
long.

According to ESPN stats, Murray
became the third player in Pelicans history with 10 assists in his
team debut, joining Elfrid Payton (2018) and Baron Davis (2002).
Last season with the Hawks, he had just two games total with 10
assists and one or fewer turnovers.

The Pelicans go on a 4-game road
trip in the West coast, beginning at Portland on Friday
night.