The New Orleans Pelicans have been hampered by injuries throughout the 2013-14 season, but the latest injury to Ryan Anderson has put a serious damper on New Orleans’ playoff aspirations.
Following a collision with Boston Celtics forward Gerald Wallace on Jan. 4, Anderson was diagnosed with a herniated disc and will be out indefinitely, according to Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com.
That news is a devastating blow to the Pelicans roster.
While New Orleans has struggled to climb into the Western Conference playoff picture with a 15-17 record, its offense has actually been quite solid. By averaging 102.3 points per game, the Pelicans rank 12th in the NBA. Anderson’s scoring output has been a major reason for that bright spot.
The sharpshooting power forward is averaging a team-leading 19.8 points per game, which is also a career high. He’s also shooting a career-high 40.9 percent on 7.5 three-point attempts per game. Anderson's offensive rating—team points scored per 100 possessions with him on the floor—sits at 110.8, according to stats.NBA.com.
His ability to stretch the floo ...
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Article written by Ben Leibowitz
Breaking Down How Ryan Anderson’s Injury Impacts New Orleans Pelicans
January 7th, 2014 by Ben Leibowitz Leave a reply »
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