Dejounte Murray Injury: Season debut not imminent

Pelicans head coach James Borrego said Sunday that Murray (Achilles) is "making a lot of progress" but doesn't appear to be close to making his season debut, Rod Walker of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. "We hope to get him back in our building here soon. He's doing a lot of work getting ready to get back here," Borrego said of Murray. "I say in the next month we'll have a little bit more clarity on where he's at. But he's made a lot of progress. Significant progress."

For his part, Murray -- who underwent surgery Feb. 5, 2025 to address his torn right Achilles tendon -- hasn't provided an update since the Pelicans' media availability day back in September regarding where he stands in his rehab program. The 29-year-old hasn't necessarily hit any snags in his recovery, but Borrego noted that he couldn't "say for sure" that Murray will play any point in 2025-26 until the Pelicans get a chance to evaluate him live on the court during practices or scrimmages. At the very least, Borrego's comment about the Pelicans hoping to have more clarity on Murray's status in the next month would seem to indicate that New Orleans isn't counting on Murray making it back before the All-Star break in mid-February. In the meantime, rookie first-round pick Jeremiah Fears will continue to serve as the Pelicans' starting point guard amid Murray's absence.