LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley will miss the rest of the season after undergoing microfracture knee surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The hits just keep coming. The LA Clippers will be without their all-defensive point guard Patrick Beverley for the rest of the season. Beverley underwent microfracture knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The timeable for recovery is approximately nine months, Wojnarowski said.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley will miss the rest of the season, league sources tell ESPN. His surgery required a repair of a microfracture and meniscus injury to his right knee.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 22, 2017
This another tough blow for a Clippers squad that has been decimated by injuries so far this season. The Clippers are in the middle of a nine-game losing streak and are still without fellow starting guard Milos Teodosic and big offseason acquisition Danilo Gallinari. There is still no timetable on Teodosic’s return. Gallinari is hopeful to return in the next week or two.
In his absence, expect rookie Sindarius Thornwell or Lou Williams to slide into the starting lineup alongside Austin Rivers. Rookie guard Juwan Evans and C.J. Williams should also see more minutes with such massive holes in the guard rotation.
The Clippers are 0-5 without Beverley in the lineup this season. Beverley averaged 12.9 points, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 11 games for the Clippers this season. This was Beverley’s first season in LA after being acquired from the Houston Rockets in the massive Chris Paul trade.
Beverley returned to the court Monday against the New York Knicks after missing the previous five games. This would end up being his final game of the season. The Clippers, who are in the middle of an East Coast road trip, sent Beverley back to Los Angeles after the game in New York after he reportedly had more issues with his knee.
Moving forward
This could not have come at a worse time for the franchise. The LA Clippers currently stand at 5-11, 13th in the loaded Western Conference. If they can’t return to their winning ways soon, it may end up being a lost season in Los Angeles. The Clippers will certainly miss Beverley, who was not only their best perimeter defender and one of the teams better shooters, but also the tone-setter for the team. Beverley brought an energy and intensity that permeated through the rest of the team.
Mr. 94 Feet will be missed by Clippers fans, his teammates, and the NBA community as a whole this season. Nobody will be surprised when he comes back even stronger next year.