Pels’ Murphy (hamstring) to miss start of season

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III is likely to miss the start of the regular season due to a right hamstring strain.

The Pelicans announced that Murphy would be reevaluated in three weeks after an MRI confirmed that he suffered a strain during Thursday evening’s practice at their training camp in Nashville, Tennessee.

New Orleans opens the regular season with an Oct. 23 home game against the Chicago Bulls.

Murphy, 24, averaged 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game primarily in a reserve role last season. He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract and is eligible for a contract extension before the Oct. 21 deadline.

The 6-foot-8 Murphy has established himself as an outstanding 3-and-D wing. He is a 39.2% career 3-point shooter, including 38.0% on 7.8 attempts per game last season. According to ESPN Research, Murphy and teammate CJ McCollum are the only players in franchise history to make at least 150 3s in multiple seasons.

Opponents shot only 42.2% from the floor when Murphy was the closest defender last season. That was the fifth-lowest percentage among 201 players who were the closest defender on at least 500 shots, according to Second Spectrum data.