Fox Sports’ Jennifer Hale reports that New Orleans Pelicans superstar forward Anthony Davis will undergo surgeries on his left knee and left shoulder.
The @PelicansNBA #AnthonyDavis set to undergo 2 surgeries: one on left knee, the other to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. #Nola
— Jennifer Hale (@JenHale504) March 20, 2016
Earlier on Sunday, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry announced that the team was shutting Davis down for the season, with the long-term in mind. However, there was no mention of any surgeries.
Story on @AntDavis23 being shut down for the season. https://t.co/BKGLLii6n0
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 20, 2016
“We’re going to shut him down. He’s done for the year,” Gentry said. “It’s unfortunate, but he’s got an issue with his shoulder that he’s played with the whole season.”
“He has an issue with his knee that we’re going to get corrected,” Gentry said. “I think for us, we have to look at things long term, and we have to look at what’s best for the future of our franchise. For that reason, he won’t play anymore this season.”
The Pelicans were expected to show improvement this season under Gentry, but have floundered hard after being hit by the injury bug, sporting a 25-43 record that is fourth-worst in the West.
Despite the disappointing season in New Orleans, Davis has flourished in his growth towards becoming one of the NBA’s best players. He’s averaged 24.3 points, 2.0 blocks, 10.3 rebounds, and shot 49 percent from the field. Those numbers are even more impressive when considering he hasn’t had a chance to play with an adequate point guard most of the season, as Jrue Holiday — until recently — has come off the bench for the team.
The 23-year-old’s loss won’t effect the Pelicans success much, as they’re already well out of the playoff hunt, but it does hurt fantasy basketball owners – where Davis is an elite commodity with his eye-popping numbers.
The main concern now is if Davis will be good to go — and be his usual superstar self — for the 2016-2017 season.