Back in opening night on October 23, Dejounte Murray fractured his left hand and has not been seen on the NBA courts ever since. Now, over a month later, it seems like the Pelicans forward is set to make his return in a matchup against the Raptors at the Smoothie King Center.
However, his recovery will not be the only thing on his mind, as his mother has recently been going through some health issues as well. After this Tuesday’s training session, Dejounte talked to the press about his return and also shared details on the personal matters that have also kept him away from basketball.
During the final days of the preseason, the 28-year-old mentioned some unspecified “personal matters” that were affecting him. Now, he cleared the air and explained that his mother suffered a stroke last month.
Sources: New Orleans Pelicans star Dejounte Murray — who fractured his left hand on opening night — intends to make his return Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors. pic.twitter.com/5T4DGxdo0y
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 25, 2024
“It was tough to leave and go deal with that. As she got better, she wanted me to come play,” Murray shared about his last-minute decision to play opening night against the Bulls. However, the injury near the end of the game was a divine way of understanding that, “Nah, you need to stay with your mom.”
He later recognized that his head was not in the game, despite his team’s first victory of the season. “I was more concerned about my mother. That was my priority,” Dejounte shared. “I wasn’t really worried about my recovery.”
Now that Murray’s mother has recovered well, he admitted that he wants to contribute while he’s “healthy and ready to help this team. I’m ready to hoop. Play for my mother — she’s going to be watching,” the star said. “I’m ready to compete, bring that winning spirit.”
The New Orleans club has been in the gutter ever since the start of the campaign, and they could definitely use some help as they are at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 4-14 record.
The Pelicans signed Elfrid Payton last week due to the amount of injuries inside the roster, and the point guard had a career-display on his debut
New Orleans have become a hospital in recent weeks, as injuries have ravaged their locker room during this start of the campaign. Even at times, all five of their usual starters have been out due to health issues, and their star Zion Williamson has now missed 12 games so far.
With so many athletes recovering from injuries, the team decided to sign veteran guard Elfrid Payton last Wednesday, and the player proved to be ready for the NBA with a career-performance this past weekend. The 30-year-old handed out 21 assists during his team’s loss against the Pacers.
With Brandon Ingram’s status in doubt and Herbert Jones sidelined by a shoulder strain, New Orleans hope to be able to play with both Murray and fellow guard CJ McCollum this Wednesday against the Raptors.
“I don’t care how many games we’ve lost. I just know every time I step on the floor I feel like we can win games,” said Dejounte, who dropped 14 points, gave out 10 assists and earned eight rebounds in his lone display with the Pels. “That’s just my mentality, and I feel like it can carry over to a lot of guys.”
