Pelicans' Jrue Holiday (leg) undergoes season-ending surgery
Jrue Holiday (left) averaged 14.3 points and 7.9 assists this season. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)
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The Pelicans announced Friday that point guard Jrue Holiday has undergone season-ending surgery to address a stress fracture in his right tibia.
Holiday, 23, was diagnosed with the leg injury in January. Before his injury, New Orleans posted a 15-19 record. Since the injury, New Orleans has gone 8-15 and has fallen 10 games out of the Western Conference's playoff picture.
The 2013 All-Star had played in every game for New Orleans before the injury, averaging 14.3 points, a team-high 7.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 44.7 percent overall and 39 percent from three-point range. Holiday, a 2009 first round pick out of UCLA, ranked among the NBA’s top 10 in assists per game at the time of his injury. Entering this season, Holiday had missed just five games combined over the three previous seasons.
Coach Monty Williams has replaced Holiday with Brian Roberts, who is averaging 8.7 points and 3.2 assists in 21.8 minutes this season.
The Pelicans have been making do without forward Ryan Anderson (herniated disk) and center Jason Smith (knee), who were both lost to long-term injuries.
