Trey Murphy III of the Pelicans to miss at least 3 weeks due to hamstring strain

After receiving the results of an MRI on Thursday, the club announced the injury.

The injury occurred during the second practice of Pelicans training camp in Nashville on Wednesday. Murphy’s recovery timeline makes it unlikely that he’ll play in New Orleans’ regular season opener against Chicago on Oct. 23.

The 24-year-old Murphy, a 2021 first-round draft choice out of Virginia, averaged a career-high 14.8 points last season, when he played in 57 games with 23 starts.

He has shot 39.2% from 3-point range during his three seasons and also has shown a knack for slashing to the hoop for the kind of soaring, authoritative dunks that have gotten him a past invitation to the NBA All-Star weekend dunk contest.

The injury setback comes as Murphy enters the final season of his rookie contract. He is eligible for a contract extension until Oct. 21. Otherwise, he’d be slated to become a restricted free agent next offseason.