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Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III out 10-12 weeks after left knee surgery

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated09 Sep 2023

New Orleans Pelicans Trey Murphy III out 10-12 weeks after left knee surgery

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee during a workout on Tuesday and has already undergone successful surgery. Murphy, 23, injured the knee in a workout at New Orleans’ practice facility.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-9 forward “underwent a successful partial meniscectomy and received a biologic injection in his left knee,” the Pelicans posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The surgery was performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York. Murphy is expected to make a full recovery and will return to basketball activities in approximately 10-12 weeks.

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Murphy was selected 17th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2021 NBA Draft out of the University of Virginia. Memphis then traded him to New Orleans. The North Carolina native made one start in 62 games played of his rookie 2021-22 season.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 5.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 13.9 minutes per game with New Orleans, while shooting 39.4% from the field, 38.2% beyond the arc, and 88.2% at the foul line.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III is expected to miss 10-12 weeks after left knee surgery

In the 2022-23 season, Trey Murphy made 65 starts in 75 appearances with the Pelicans. The Virginia product averaged career highs of 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 31 minutes per game. Also, he shot career bests of 48.4% from the floor, 40.6% from downtown, and 90.5% at the free throw line.

Additionally, he ranked fifth in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers in the league last season, per Second Spectrum data. Not to mention, Murphy was the only Pelicans player in franchise history to have nine 3-pointers in a game more than once.

In New Orleans’ 127-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 12, 2023, the forward recorded a career-high 41 points, seven boards, one assist, one steal, and one block in 30 minutes as a starter. He finished 13-of-20 (65%) shooting from the field and 9-of-14 (64.3%) from 3-point range.


Furthermore, Trey Murphy increased his scoring average by 9.1 points from his rookie to sophomore season — the second-largest increase in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only Utah Jazz wing Lauri Markkanen, the 2023 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award recipient, made greater progress.

According to the 2023-24 NBA schedule, the Pelicans have about a month until training camp starts. New Orleans plays its first preseason game on Tuesday, Oct. 10 against the Orlando Magic.

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