New Orleans Pelicans star forward Trey Murphy's shoulder injury isn't a season-ender. Get the latest on his quick return timeline and crucial offensive impact.
Right as the fans and players were getting ready to clock out for the All-Star break, New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy went down with an injury.
Given that teams and players have been away on break, there wasn't much known about his status. That changed on Thursday.
When the team returned to the practice court on Thursday, James Borrego and Murphy both spoke to the media and provided updates on his injury.
Borrego said that he would expect to see Murphy listed as questionable on the next injury report, which he was, and that he had not practiced during the two days they had been back.
That second statement makes it feel like he could miss both of the next two games, given that it is a back-to-back and he has yet to practice, but Murphy likely won't need that much time to get up to speed.
"[My shoulder is] alright. It's getting better. I'm just taking my time with it, making sure that it's back to where it's supposed to be," said Murphy.
He tweaked his shoulder while boxing out against the Miami Heat in the final game before the break. It hit a player wrong and just started swelling up. It was a scary moment for Murphy, who must have had flashbacks to his shoulder surgery that cut his last season short.
"To go through a whole season and not have any problems is nearly impossible. I think it's just par for the course," said the Pelicans star.
Having him miss any time is going to be tough for this New Orleans squad to overcome, so everyone involved will be hoping for a quick recovery. They are just now getting to the healthiest they have been all season with Dejounte Murray nearing his return.
Murphy has had an incredible season. He's averaging 22.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 47.6/37.8/89.2 splits. His star turn has continued and would be more celebrated if the team had more than just 15 wins.
He is a crucial part of their offense and is one of the only players who provides any threat from beyond the arc. It'll be interesting to see how Borrego responds to him not being in the lineup, should he actually miss any time. Perhaps this will be what spurs the return of Jordan Poole to the lineup.
The Pelicans will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.