Zion Williamson (hamstring). Dejounte Murray (hand). CJ McCollum (adductor). Herb Jones (shoulder). Jordan Hawkins (back).
All of those Pelicans players are out for at least the next two weeks — and now you can add Jose Alvarado to the list.
The #Pelicans announced today that guard Jose Alvarado has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain.
An MRI taken this morning confirmed the injury that occurred last night against the Nets.
He will be re-examined in about 3 weeks. pic.twitter.com/EKMJ5331rA
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 12, 2024
Expect Alvarado to miss more than six weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. He was clearly trying to work his way through trouble at the end of the Pelicans’ loss to the Nets on Monday. This injury just seems to be piling up for a team that just got Trey Murphy III back on Monday after he missed the first 10 games of the season with a hand injury.
Alvarado’s injury leaves Jaylen Nowell — the traveling combo guard the team signed Nov. 3 to help cover all injuries — as the only point guard on the roster.
The impact of all those injuries was evident in the Pelicans’ loss to the Nets on Monday night, when the team couldn’t score in the final 3:30 of the game and gave up a four-point lead to lose 107-105. Brandon Ingram takes a heavy offensive load, and scored 24 points with nine assists against Brooklyn, but when the Nets loaded the defense on him there were no other good answers (Murphy, in his first game back, looked understandably rusty and a little tired at the end). While rookie Yves Missi stood out – he had 17 and 11 against Brooklyn – the fact that he has to talk about the bigger issue.
The Pelicans are 3-8, sit 14th in the West and are already three games out of even the final playoff spot, and their schedule is much tougher in the coming weeks. It’s a rough time to be a Pelicans fan.
