Pelicans big man Jason Smith is done for the season after undergoing surgery to remove loose articular cartilage in his right knee, the club announced. The team termed the operation as “successful” which should bode well for his recovery.
The 7-footer has been out of action since hurting his right knee in mid-January. In 31 games this season (27 starts), Smith averaged 9.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 26.8 minutes per contest. That’s a career-high in minutes for Smith but his PER rating of 12.6 is a step back from his production over the last two seasons (16.8 in 2012/13, 16.6 in 2011/12).