NBA All-Defensive First Teamer out indefinitely with shoulder injury

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The season from hell continues for the New Orleans Pelicans.

New Orleans announced on Friday that starting forward Herb Jones has been diagnosed with a posterior labrum tear in his right shoulder. Jones will now be out indefinitely as a result.

The 26-year-old Jones was an All-Defensive First Team selection last season and is known as one of the NBA’s marquee wing stoppers with his 6-foot-7 frame. He also finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting last year and was averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and a career-high 1.9 steals per game this season.

Everything has gone wrong for the Pelicans this season, who have the worst record in the Western Conference at 7-31. They have had just about every meaningful rotation player miss significant time with injury this year, and now Jones joins Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III as their forwards who are currently sidelined. The rotten luck could have a real impact on what New Orleans does ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and there are some very interesting storylines for them there.