The New Orleans Pelicans will have to brace themselves for several months without Trigga Trey.
The Pelicans announced Thursday that forward Trey Murphy III has undergone a successful partial meniscectomy and also gotten a biologic injection in his left knee. Murphy is now expected to return to basketball activities in roughly 10-12 weeks.
The 23-year-old Murphy, one of New Orleans’ best young players and their very best three-point shooter, suffered a meniscus tear this week during an offseason workout. He averaged a career-high 14.5 points per game on an ethereal 48-40-91 shooting line last year and was expected to see an even larger role to begin 2023-24.
While the meniscus repair figures to be better for Murphy’s long-term health, it also means that he won’t return to basketball activities until mid-November at the earliest. By the time that Murphy completes his ramp-up period, it could be December, and he might have already missed close to two months of the regular season.
In Murphy’s absence, the Pelicans will likely give forward Naji Marshall more of a spin. It could also be as simple as plugging Murphy’s hole in the starting lineup with a healthy Zion Williamson … but that is never as easy as it sounds.
