Trey Murphy III Injury Update: Brutal injury ends Pelicans’ 3-and-D specialist’s season

Trey Murphy III made his way to the locker room just one minute into the New Orleans Pelicans-Detroit Pistons contest. Following their blowout 81-127 defeat at the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans announced that Murphy III suffered a season-ending torn labrum in his right shoulder while diving for a loose ball during the third play of the night.

“The Pelicans announced that Trey Murphy III has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and partial tear of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. The injury occurred when Murphy III dislocated his right shoulder during the first quarter of tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons. An MRI taken tonight confirmed the injury diagnosis. Murphy III will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season,” NOLA’s statement read.

Murphy III's absence is a devastating blow to a Pelicans squad already plagued by injuries, with Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray also sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The lanky sharpshooter was in the midst of a breakout campaign - one of the few positive takeaways for New Orleans. The 3-and-D player averaged 21.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while knocking down 150+ 3-pointers for a third straight year.

Murphy III’s season-ending injury puts an end to any hope for the Pels to pull off a miraculous playoff push. Struggling to stay competitive with an injury-riddled roster, the Pelicans have lodged just a 26.1% win rate and are on pace to finish with the second-worst record in franchise history.

Trey Murphy III’s injury hampered Pelicans' rhythm

The New Orleans Pelicans struggled throughout their matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Despite a 31-25 advantage in the third quarter, the Pelicans couldn't close the gap, ultimately suffering a crushing 46-point defeat.

Head coach Willie Green blamed his team's struggles on an early setback - Trey Murphy III going down.

“I think just to start the game with Trey going down, it kind of just rocked us. From there we didn't have a rhythm offensively. Kind of felt sorry for ourselves a bit - we can't do that. But it really it shook our guys up especially with all we've kind of been through this season,” Green said during the postgame press conference (00:18 onwards).

With a tough three-game road trip ahead, the Pelicans must regroup quickly. They’ll face the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves in back-to-back games before getting another shot at the Pistons, this time on the road at Little Caesars Arena.