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[Saba Sports News] With only 11 games played, the 2024-25 season has quickly turned into a nightmare for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Tuesday that guard Jose Alvarado is expected to be out for six weeks due to a hamstring injury. Alvarado, who was posting career highs in an expanded role, suffered the setback during Monday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
This puts Alvarado in a growing line of sidelined Pelicans players just three weeks into the season. The injury list now includes Dejounte Murray (hand), CJ McCollum (adductor), Herbert Jones (shoulder), Jordan Hawkins (back), and Zion Williamson (hamstring), all facing extended absences.
In total, that’s six key rotation players for New Orleans, earning a combined $119 million this season, now out. Of the seven highest-paid players on the roster, only Brandon Ingram has managed to stay healthy, though forward Trey Murphy III just returned from his own hamstring injury.
With the Pelicans’ depleted depth, their new projected starting lineup features Ingram, Murphy, Brandon Boston Jr., Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Yves Missi, with Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, and Jaylen Nowell off the bench—a lineup that won’t hold up in the challenging Western Conference, especially with New Orleans now at just 3-8. This unlucky streak feels reminiscent of the injury-riddled season faced by another Western team last year.