New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday is out indefinitely with a right ankle injury.
The Pelicans say that the injury is a stress fracture in the tibia. It is not known how Holiday got the injury. During Wednesday’s game, Holiday made three out of eleven shots for eight points, had three assists, three rebounds, and three steals, according to the Associated Press. Losing Holiday isn’t good for the Pelicans. They are struggling without their lead scorer Ryan Anderson, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disk.
Holiday, a 2013 All-Star, has been great for the Pelicans. This season he is averaging 14.3 points, 7.9 assists, which is a team high, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals with an overall shooting percentage of 44.7, according to Sports Illustrated. In assists per game he ranks among the top ten in the NBA. The Pelicans have an offense rating of 107.7 when Holiday is playing and an offense rating of 100.4 when he’s not playing. That means losing Holiday is a big loss for the Pelicans.
Back-up point guard Brain Roberts, who is averaging 5.7 points and 2.3 assists, could fill in while Holiday is out. Roberts isn’t the only option for Holiday’s replacement however. Austin Rivers, who is averaging 4.2 points, Eric Gordon, and Tyreke Evans are also possibilities to fill in for Holiday.
Holiday joins Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, and Eric Bledsoe on the injured list. For his career, he is averaging 13.5 points, six assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. The Pelicans are currently 15-19, four games out of the Western conference playoff picture. They play the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.