There’s a good chance that Pelicans forward Herbert Jones will be shut down for the season, executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin told reporters, including Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
Jones has been out since Jan. 8 due to a torn posterior labrum in his right shoulder. The club indicated at the time that he had been ruled out indefinitely.
As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes noted at the time of Jones’ diagnosis, when a posterior labrum tear is small and the instability in the shoulder is minimal, a non-surgical treatment plan can improve the issue. In other cases, a surgical procedure is necessary.
It’s not clear whether or not Jones will go under the knife, but Griffin noted today that the forward has gotten opinions on the injury from multiple medical experts, via Erin Summers.
The 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jones has been a valuable role player for New Orleans over the course of his four NBA seasons, particularly on defense — he earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team in 2023-24. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.4 minutes per game this season across 20 appearances (all starts), with a shooting line of .436/.306/.825.
Jones is one of several Pelicans regulars whose 2024-25 campaign was derailed by health issues. With the team lottery-bound at 12-41, it sounds like the goal in New Orleans is to make sure he’s healthy for the start of next season.
Jones is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one — he’s set to make $13.9M in 2025-26, with a $14.9M salary for ’2026-27. He would be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.
