On Thursday night, the LA Clippers announced forward Luc Mbah a Moute had undergone successful knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Usually a team riddled with injuries, the LA Clippers have had relatively good luck when it’s come to health this season. Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari, who missed 132 combined games last season, have only missed 13 this time around. Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezl Harrell have both played in every game up to this point.
However, that luck didn’t extend to every member of the team — and specifically not to Luc Mbah a Moute, who will finish the 2018-2019 season with just four games under his belt.
Back in October, the fan-favorite forward went down with what was seemingly a minor knee injury against the New Orleans Pelicans. He was listed as questionable for the two games that followed, against the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, but was soon downgraded after the injury appeared more severe than the team initially thought.
Since then, Mbah a Moute’s status has shifted. He’s seemed ready to return on a few separate occasions, including the beginning of this month, but numerous setbacks have kept him completely off the floor.
According to Clippers PR, Mbah a Moute underwent a partial medial meniscectomy on his left knee on Wednesday. He’s expected to be able to return to basketball-related activities in about 8 weeks, bringing his season to a tough and unfortunate end.
A google search will tell you that the procedure is the most common outpatient surgery in the United States, so at least Mbah a Moute’s injury isn’t all that complex. Based on that alone, it would seem that a strong return to form is likely.
However, it’s far too early to make assumptions about Mbah a Moute’s recovery and his future with the LA Clippers. The 32-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after the one-year deal he signed last July expires. Based on what happened this season, it’s hard to imagine the Clippers re-signing him unless they’re truly confident in his abilities after he fully recovers from the surgery.
And even if he does return to form, I imagine the Clippers wouldn’t want to sign him for any more than the minimum, as there are bigger plans in the works for this upcoming summer.
Here’s hoping Mbah a Moute has a speedy recovery and comes back stronger than he was before the injury. He’ll always be one of our favorites.