Pelicans Lose Yet Another Core Player to Long-Term Injury

New Orleans Pelicans reserve guard Jose Alvarado is just the latest player the injury-plagued Pelicans are going to miss long-term.

Sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN that the 6-foot vet will be sidelined for at least the next six weeks due to a hamstring injury.

The Pelicans' starting backcourt of Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum is already on the shelf. Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins had been subbed in these Murray and McCollum's replacements, but now both the team's two backup guards are gone, too.

Murray, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Hawks this summer, broke his hand after posting a triple-double in his New Orleans opening-night debut against the Chicago Bulls. He's on the shelf for at least one to three more weeks.

Read more: Pelicans All-Star Breaks Hand, Will Miss Significant Time

Per the Pelicans, Hawkins is sidelined with a low back strain for the next one to two weeks.

All-Star New Orleans forward Zion Williamson and forward/center Herbert Jones are also on the shelf with long-term ailments. Williamson is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring, per Charania.

Read more: Pelicans Offer Timetable on Zion Williamson's Return From Significant Hamstring Injury

The Pelicans announced earlier this month that Jones suffered a right shoulder strain and small low-grade partial-thickness tear in his rotator cuff, which will keep him unavailable for at least two to four weeks.

It's almost been two weeks, though Jones has yet to return. McCollum was slated to be out for at least two to three weeks with a right adductor strain, meaning he could make his return sooner than Jones.

Alvarado, 26, has started in seven of the Pelicans' 11 contests due to the club's various guard injuries. In an expanded role, Alvarado is averaging career highs of 25.6 minutes, 10.7 points on .396/.400/.824 shooting splits, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals a night, while also rebounding 2.2 boards a night. Last season, he finished sixth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. In 2024-25, he had been well on his way to potentially another top-10 finish. But depending on how many games he misses, those plans may now be dashed.

Prior to the season, the 6-foot Georgia Tech product inked a fairly team-friendly two-year, $9 million deal to stay with New Orleans through the 2026-27 season.

Read more: Pelicans Extend Key Role Player Ahead of Crucial NBA Season

Wing Trey Murphy, meanwhile, sat out the first 10 games of the Pelicans' season but returned to action on Monday.

New Orleans' paltry 3-8 record, good for just the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference so far, could be more a reflection of their health challenges than an accurate representation of how they'll perform when most of their players have recuperated. The key question now: will the Pelicans have already fallen too far behind to compete for much of anything in the crowded West?

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