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The New Orleans Pelicans would probably like to hit the reset button on the 2024-25 season if they could. It’s been a whirlwind of injuries and has so far culminated with the trade of Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors. More bad news appears on the way for the Pelicans in the form of the latest injury update on Herb Jones.
After suffering a shoulder injury earlier this season, Herb Jones will likely be sidelined for the rest of the Pelicans’ season, as per Will Guillory of The Athletic. The news was announced by Pelicans general manager David Griffin during a press conference on Tuesday.
Jones has not played since Jan. 8 against the Portland Trail Blazers when he played a season-low 18 minutes. It was after that game that he was diagnosed with the injury. After playing in the first four games of the season, Jones sat out 18 straight games due to the same shoulder. He returned for 16 games before being shut down again.
Jones is among the top defensive players in the NBA. He finished in the top five in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last season amid being named to the All-Defensive First Team.
He was originally selected by the Pelicans with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he quickly became an integral part of the rotation, cracking the starting lineup in 2021-22.
This season, Jones has appeared in a total of 20 games, at a little over 32 minutes per game. He had been averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals with splits of 43.6 percent shooting from the field, 30.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 82.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The Pelicans are currently 12-41 and at the bottom of the standings in the Western Conference. Despite the disappointing season, the Pelicans are still reportedly committed to building a team around Zion Williamson.
