When is Dejounte Murray Expected to Return?
Dejounte Murray is currently projected to make his season debut for the Pelicans right after New Year’s, with multiple reports and injury listings pointing to January 2 as the internal target date. That’s roughly 11 months after his surgery in early February for a torn right Achilles, which lines up with the standard high-end recovery window for this type of injury. Law, Johnnie (@JohnnieBeGood_) remarked on X that Dejounte Murray hasn’t played a single minute all season, underscoring the frustration around his ongoing absence.
Team insiders and league reports have consistently framed the timeline around “right after New Year’s,” and recent injury reports still list him as out but with that January 2 expectation attached. It’s unclear if he’ll jump straight into a full minutes load or ramp up over a handful of games, but the organization clearly sees that early-January stretch as his return window.
Dejounte Murray Injury Update
Murray has been out since tearing his right Achilles on January 31 against the Boston Celtics, an injury that ended his 2024–25 campaign after 31 games and forced him into surgery in early February. Team officials and coaches have said he’s progressing well in rehab, with reports of him dunking again by late summer and steadily increasing on-court work over the fall. Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) reported on X that Dejounte Murray has suffered a torn Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season.
Recent updates from the Pelicans’ side describe him as “doing a little more every day” and “working his tail off” to get back, but he remains officially listed as out on the latest injury reports heading into Wednesday’s matchup with Cleveland. The plan is to clear him once medical staff are comfortable with his explosiveness and conditioning, which is why the team is tying his status to that January 2 target instead of rushing him into a late-December return.
Outlook
If Murray does hit that early-January return window and resembles even most of the player he was before the injury, New Orleans suddenly has a very different ceiling in the backcourt. The next few weeks are about clearing that final medical hurdle and then figuring out how quickly he can ramp from “back on the floor” to “closing games every night.
Dejounte Murray Stats
Before the Achilles tear, Murray gave New Orleans exactly what it traded for: a two-way guard averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game across 31 appearances last season. He did that while handling primary playmaking duties and guarding top perimeter options, which explains why his absence has been so noticeable in crunch time for the Pelicans’ current group.
Game logs from January show how strong his form was right before the injury, including a run with 26, 26 and 27 points in three straight games and 21 points with 8 assists in his second-to-last full outing. Some will remember those nights as the stretch where he looked fully settled as New Orleans’ lead guard, which makes this impending return feel like adding a near All-Star midseason.
Disclaimer
This content is for general informational and discussion purposes only and should not be taken as medical, betting, or financial advice. Player status, injury details, and return timelines can change quickly, so always verify with official team and league updates before making decisions.
