The New Orleans Pelicans announced on Friday that Herb Jones and CJ McCollum will both miss extended periods of time with shoulder and adductor injuries, respectively.
Jones sustained a right shoulder strain and a small low-grade partial thickness tear in his rotator cuff. His recovery timeframe is being listed as two to four weeks, and his return to play will be dictated based on his response to treatment and rehabilitation. As for McCollum, he has been diagnosed with a right adductor strain and will miss approximately two to three weeks worth of games. Both players will miss a minimum of two weeks due to their injuries.
These are two massive losses for the Pelicans, especially considering that starting point guard Dejounte Murray is also out indefinitely after suffering a fractured hand and undergoing surgery. Now, three of the five starters in New Orleans are on the injury report just five games into the 2024-25 season.
After beginning the season 2-0, the Pelicans have dropped three straight games and are in danger of falling deeper in the Western Conference standings due to Jones and McCollum now being out indefinitely.
Both Jones and McCollum played in the team's fourth game of the season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. In this game, Jones played a total of 20 minutes before exiting with a right shoulder injury. He did not play in the team's next game the following night against the Warriors.
McCollum did not leave Tuesday's game early, but the team did hold him out of Wednesday night's battle with Golden State due to what was being labeled as right adductor soreness. He will now sit out at least the next two weeks to recover.
Neither Jones nor McCollum played in New Orleans' last loss on Wednesday night to the Warriors.
In the four games he has played this season, Jones has averaged 6.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the floor. Last season, he made the All-Defensive list and finished fifth in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. McCollum has averaged 18.8 points and 4.0 assists per game this season while shooting 38.2 percent from the floor. His 13 made threes are tied with Jordan Hawkins for the most on the team.
Head coach Willie Green is now tasked with finding production on both sides of the court without several of his key contributors, including Trey Murphy III. The former first-round pick has yet to play this season after signing a $112 million contract extension in the offseason due to a hamstring issue.
Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, the two stars of the organization who have dealt with the most injury-wise over the last couple of seasons, are the last two regular starters standing for New Orleans. It is expected that Hawkins, Javonte Green, and Jose Alvarado will all see their roles increase in the wake of Jones and McCollum being sidelined.
The Pelicans will provide further updates on the status of Jones and McCollum at a later date.
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