Dejounte Murray’s New Orleans Pelicans tenure has started on a somber note. He was in excellent rhythm during their home opener against the Chicago Bulls but injured his hand with around two minutes to go in the game. It happened when he went for a pull-up three-pointer from around the top of the key.
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Zach LaVine fouled him during the attempt. As he was coming down, his left hand got injured when he hit the floor awkwardly. The guard refused help from his teammates and made two out of his three free throws before leaving the court. Later, Murray was diagnosed with a left-hand fracture, and after a successful surgery, he was ruled out for 4-6 weeks.
A slow start could complicate matters even if the Pelican coaching staff does their best to get Murray back in top form. Murray might be tempted to go back sooner than planned. Fortunately for him, he has the example of Kobe Bryant to look up in this regard.
During the 2009-10 season, Bryant led the Lakers to their 16th title with a broken index finger on his right hand. Murray could take a page from Kobe’s book and push through, but it’s wiser to let his hand heal first. After all, Bryant was one of a kind, trying things no one else dared to consider.
When Kobe Bryant wanted a ring for his broken finger
In December 2009, the Lakers legend suffered an avulsion fracture in two areas around the tip of his fingers. Bryant didn’t opt for surgery to avoid missing six weeks of action.
However, the decision to not have surgery came at a steep price, as he had to undergo numerous painful treatments to keep going. Trainer Gary Viti applied full pressure to his splinted index finger to avoid swelling regularly. One can’t imagine how much Bryant would have suffered during this ordeal.
But that didn’t stop him from playing in 73 games and putting up 27 points, 5.4 rebounds, five assists, and 1.5 steals per game in the 2009-10 season. He finished third in the regular season MVP voting but was far from done.
Bryant had to adjust his shooting motion and shot across his thumb and middle finger. He used the index finger as a guide finger instead of the trigger finger.
During the NBA Finals Game 7 decider, the new shooting motion did hold him back as he shot just 6/24. But Bryant hustled his tail off for 15 rebounds to help his team clinch the title. His gritty play with a broken finger became a model for the rest of the league.
In December 2017, Stephen Curry reached out to Bryant after suffering a similar right-hand injury. He wanted to keep his shooting rhythm going through the injury. However, the Golden State Warriors’ medical staff rested him for almost three weeks. Will Murray be better off also exercising caution?
Can Murray return sooner?
Murray has an advantage over Curry and Bryant since his injury is to his non-dominant hand. However, Murray has injured a critical part of his left hand unlike Bryant, who only hurt one finger.
As someone who often needs the ball in his hands, this doesn’t look good for his overall game. Additionally, he’s already undergone surgery, which will need at least a month of rehab.
It seems unlikely he’ll pull off something as daring as Bryant did. Pelicans fans will probably have to wait until early December for his return.
