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

At some point the basketball gods have to ease up on the Pelicans and stop the injuries, right?

Promising young New Orleans wing Trey Murphy III has undergone a left knee meniscus surgery after an injury during a workout at the team facility this week, the team announced.

A 10-12 week recovery timeline likely has him back on the court before Thanksgiving.

A partial meniscectomy is the preferred surgery for young players in this situation, it means shaving off the torn portion of the meniscus and cleaning it up. Leaving some of the meniscus keeps the shock absorber for the knee at least partially in place, helping avoid more troublesome knee issues down the line (Dwyane Wade had his meniscus removed early in his career and by the end needed considerable load management to knee playing because of it).

Murphy, a 6’9″ wing, is a plus perimeter defender who averaged 14.5 points a game last season, shooting 40.6% from 3. He was invited to be part of the USA Select team this summer (part of the Team USA training camp for the World Cup) and is coveted by other front office who see him as a potential future All-Star.

Hopefully this is not the first in another series of injuries for the Pelicans this season. We need to see what this team can do when healthy.