The Trail Blazers announced today that Festus Ezeli will be sidelined for six weeks. The center had his left knee injected with a bone marrow aspirate concentrate and Orthovisc today in Chicago. The treatment is designed to alleviate pain and improve function in the joint, per the announcement. If his recovery goes as planned, Ezeli should be available for the start of the regular season on October 25th.
Ezeli’s deal with Portland was for less money than expected because of concerns about his knees, which is looking like a smart move given this latest setback. The former Warriors center signed a two-year, $16MM contract with Portland, with a team option for the second season. Ezeli underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee back in February, and according to a July report by Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, a number of teams passed on signing the big man because they were worried about his durability.
The 26-year-old appeared in 46 games for the Warriors during the 2015/16 campaign, with Ezeli notching averages of 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 16.7 minutes per outing. His slash line on the season was .548/.000/.530.