Dejounte Murray’s season is over, with the New Orleans Pelicans confirming Saturday that the standout guard ruptured his proper Achilles tendon and now faces a prolonged rehab course of.
It is the most recent blow in an injury-dominated season for the Pelicans, who got here into the yr hoping a star trio of Murray, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram would be capable of lead them again to the playoffs.
These three gamers had been by no means on the court docket on the identical time this season.
Murray bought damage Friday night time in a sport in opposition to the Boston Celtics, the noncontact harm instantly prompting hypothesis that he tore his Achilles tendon. Murray had pushed into the lane and took a shot, then went to chase after his miss. However he fell to the court docket and grabbed behind his proper foot, then hobbled towards the bench.
The Pelicans stated an MRI that confirmed the rupture was carried out Friday night time. Gamers and coach Willie Inexperienced indicated after the 118-116 loss to the reigning champion Celtics that they already knew Murray had suffered a critical harm even earlier than the analysis was introduced.
“It sucks, bro,” guard Jose Alvarado stated. “That is my dawg. On the finish of the day, we’re human beings and after I noticed it, I felt dangerous for him. I can not actually clarify it. It is one thing that I knew wasn’t wanting good. … He loves this sport and I understand how a lot he loves it. It is unlucky. And after I’d seen that, I could not put it into phrases.”
That is the second main leg harm for the 28-year-old Murray in his NBA profession. He missed the 2018-19 season when he tore his proper ACL, which occurred within the preseason earlier than what would have been his third yr with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Pelicans (12-37) entered Saturday next-to-last within the Western Convention and effectively out of the playoff image. And accidents are among the many greatest the reason why this yr has gone horribly incorrect for New Orleans.
Murray already missed 17 video games earlier this season with a damaged hand. Williamson has missed 36 video games for quite a lot of causes, the majority of these absences due to left hamstring points. Ingram has missed the Pelicans’ final 25 video games with a sprained left ankle.
Herb Jones — one of many league’s finest defenders — has missed 29 video games with a proper shoulder subject. CJ McCollum missed 13 video games with an adductor pressure. Alvarado missed 23 video games with a hamstring subject.
Add all of it up, and the season merely by no means had an opportunity to get on the monitor that the Pelicans hoped for. There’s additionally been classes discovered from off-the-court points that overshadow something that occurs in basketball, Inexperienced stated — seemingly referencing the New 12 months’s Eve truck assault in New Orleans’ French Quarter that killed 14 folks, and the aircraft crashes in Washington and Philadelphia this week that led to 73 extra deaths.
“That is NBA issue,” Inexperienced stated. “What we simply noticed on the information, that is real-life issue. And maintaining that in perspective is essential. We lose a sport within the NBA, we get to get up tomorrow and get again after it. While you preserve life in perspective — and for me, maintaining God first and staying regular via challenges — you are capable of overcome them and are available out on the opposite finish OK.”
Murray ends his season averaging 17.5 factors, 7.4 assists and 6.5 rebounds per sport. He’s within the first yr of a four-year, $114.2 million contract and was the highest-profile addition to New Orleans’ roster final summer season, when he was traded to the Pelicans by Atlanta.
Achilles tendon tears can require a restoration interval of as much as a yr in some circumstances, and Murray’s rehab is for certain to final a number of months at minimal. That would depart Murray’s availability for the beginning of subsequent season — opening night time is usually in mid-to-late October — in some doubt.
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