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Pelicans' Darius Miller Has Surgery on Achilles Injury; Could Miss 7-8 Months
August 29, 2019
New Orleans Pelicans forward Darius Miller is expected to miss seven to eight months after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon on Thursday, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.
He is expected to begin rehab next week and could be cleared to return to practice in five to six months, per Andrews.
Per Andrews, Miller suffered the injury while playing three-on-three basketball.
Since being taken in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft, Miller has spent his entire NBA career in New Orleans. He suited up for the organization from 2012 to 2015 before going overseas to play for German club Brose Bamberg.
He rejoined New Orleans in 2017 and has spent the past two seasons with the Pelicans.
Miller is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 8.2 points while adding 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game. The 29-year-old made 69 appearances for the Pelicans in 2018-19, including 15 starts.
That performance earned him a reported two-year, $14.25 million deal in free agency this offseason.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, New Orleans is eligible to apply for the $3.625 million disabled player exception, which could be granted if the NBA determines Miller will be out until June 15.