Clippers rookie Brice Johnson has suffered a herniated disc in his lower back and will be out of action for an indefinite amount of time as a result, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports. The goal is for the forward to avoid surgery, and Johnson will be miss at least four-to-six weeks, Goodman notes. The injury occurred during L.A.’s preseason contest against the Raptors.
The loss of Johnson isn’t a major blow to the Clippers, seeing as Blake Griffin, Brandon Bass, DeAndre Jordan, and Marreese Speights are all ahead of him on the team’s frontcourt depth chart. However, it will certainly set the No. 25 overall pick’s development back in his rookie campaign.
Johnson appeared in the team’s first two preseason games, averaging just 1.0 point and 1.0 rebound in 5.6 minutes per outing. The 22-year-old was extremely solid in summer league play in Las Vegas this offseason, notching 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31.1 minutes. His shooting line was .500/.000/.850.