Pelicans Scoop

Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up About Dejounte Murray's Support During Injury Rehab

The New Orleans Pelicans guard has been a big help to Tyrese Haliburton in his recovery process.
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

After having suffered a devastating Achilles rupture 31 games into his Pelicans career, Dejounte Murray has yet to make a big impact on New Orleans basketball. While he is relentlessly working to get back, Murray has also been making an impact around the NBA. According to The Athletic's Shakeia Taylor's story on Tyrese Haliburton's recovery process, the Pacers superstar revealed how supportive Murray has been through it all.

Haliburton suffered the same injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has been rehabbing ever since and will miss the rest of the season. Murray has been out since January 2025 and doesn't have a timetable to return. The Pelicans hope that it's this season, but regardless of when he returns, Murray has been keeping busy helping out his NBA brotherhood. Haliburton revealed that Murray has been constantly checking on him and offering him support.

Dejounte has been great for me. We didn’t really have that cool of a relationship, it was just an NBA relationship, but Dejounte has checked on me so much since I’ve gotten hurt...Dejounte’s just a solid dude and I appreciate him very much.
Tyrese Haliburton

Murray apparently shares "advice, encouragement, and status updates" on his individual recovery, along with Jayson Tatum, who is going through the same process after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs. The isolation and the anxiety about recovery while desperately trying to get back are feelings that only players who have been in that situation can understand.

Even though he is tackling his own recovery, the fact that Murray is taking the time to reach out and be of assistance to others is commendable. Especially since the Pelicans guard didn't have a prior relationship with Haliburton. The unfortunate injuries have brought them closer and presumably helped them in the process.

Achilles tears are some of the worst injuries NBA players can suffer. Few players have come close to returning to their pre-injury forms, Kevin Durant being the most notable example. The injury will almost certainly have a significant impact on the rest of Haliburton, Murray, and Tatum's careers. It will be a long road back to stardom, but they will clearly cherish these relationships they were able to build as the silver lining of a career-altering injury.

Murray has suffered the injury earlier than Tatum and Haliburton, so he is the most likely of the three to return to action this season. Because of where they are in the standings, the Pelicans are in no rush to have him back on the court, but it's safe to assume that Murray must be itching to play basketball again after a year of absence.

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Cem Yolbulan
CEM YOLBULAN

Cem has worked as an Associate Editor for FanSided's Regional Betting Network sites for two years and continues to be a contributor, producing NBA and NFL content. He has also previously written soccer content for Sports Illustrated. He has extensive prior experience covering the NBA for various Fansided sites. Cem has been living in the Washington, DC area for over 15 years since moving to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey. On any given day, he can be found watching soccer or basketball on his couch with his many cats and dogs.

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