Landry Fields Injury: Updates on Free Agent's Recovery from Hip Surgery
Free-agent guard/forward Landry Fields has undergone labrum surgery on his hip.
Continue for updates.
Fields' Future in the Balance
Thursday, Sept. 3
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Fields will miss up to five months after Thursday's labrum surgery on his hip.
An unrestricted free agent, Fields' recovery could hold him out of playing until at least January. That is, if he can find a team.
Prior to the surgery, Fields had been battling an injury suffered to his shooting arm over the past few seasons, which limited him to just 26 appearances in a contract year in 2014-15 with the Toronto Raptors.
The five-year veteran even addressed the problem at the beginning of last season, speaking frankly about his future with Stephen Brotherston of Pro Bball Report:
"“I thought about even switching to my left hand and shooting left-handed.”
[...]
“In terms of (my) shot and the arm, it is still an on-going thing. I do the best I can with rehab, it is what it is.
“I do understand that my contract might not be the same (next year). I might not be in basketball after this year.”
"
The team that drafted Fields in 2010, the New York Knicks, reached out to him in July, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. They were aware that he was practicing a left-handed shot, but no deal was made.
After averaging 1.6 points per game last year, adding this hip issue to his health problems, he will be even more hard-pressed to find a new home. Upon his return to playing shape, he will have to show that he can still move well and shoot on an NBA level.
It's going to be an uphill battle for Fields, as it seems unlikely he'll get an opportunity to play during the later stages of the 2015-16 season. The earliest fans could see him—if he does come back—would be at the beginning of 2016-17. It all depends on if one team is willing to give him one more chance.
Follow Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) on Twitter. Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
