Festus Ezeli Injury: Updates on Trail Blazers Center's Knee and Return

Joe PantornoOct 15, 2016

Portland Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli hasn't played this season after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason. It's unclear when he will return to the court.

Continue for updates.

Ezeli to Seek Additional Info on Knee

Tuesday, Nov. 15

Ezeli will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip while he receives a medical opinion on his left knee, per Jason Quick of CSNNW.com.

Ezeli Suffers Setback

Wednesday, Nov. 9

Ezeli endured a setback at practice in October, according to Quick.

"I practiced, and that’s what happens sometimes—it reacts, swells up, you go back, regress and come back," Ezeli said after his knee swelled at practice on Oct. 17 and 18, per Quick.

Ezeli Will Give Trail Blazers Athletic Defensive Presence When Healthy

The fourth-year center is set to begin his first season with the Trail Blazers after winning the 2014-15 NBA title and back-to-back Western Conference championships with the Golden State Warriors. He came to Portland via free agency this offseason, signing a two-year, $16 million deal, and was expected to bolster the frontcourt along with Mason Plumlee and Meyers Leonard.

But Ezeli has missed games at an alarming rate throughout his short career. Over his last three seasons, he appeared in more than 46 games just once—during his 2012-13 rookie campaign.

His most recent injury before this summer was a knee issue that required arthroscopic surgery last season. That injury held him out for 30 games before he returned April 3. Ezeli previously underwent surgery on his knee in October 2013, forcing him to miss the entire season.

One of the 26-year-old's biggest contributions with the Warriors came against his current team in Game 2 of the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals, when he recorded eight points and six rebounds in 13 minutes.

While his absence won't necessarily impact the Blazers frontcourt much because of the presence of Plumlee and Leonard, Ezeli's latest injury will further hinder his ability to build chemistry with his new teammates and develop his game.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.