The Golden State Warriors announced Monday night that backup big man Festus Ezeli underwent exploratory left knee surgery.
Ezeli, 26, is expected to miss the next six weeks.
Festus Ezeli underwent arthroscopic surgery to clean debris from left knee; is expected to return this season & be re-evaluated in 6 weeks.
— GSWStats (@gswstats) February 9, 2016
.@StephenCurry30 & @SteveKerr discuss the effects of @Festus' absence & @Mospeights16 stepping up in recent weeks.https://t.co/Vxd0HXTOWy
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) February 8, 2016
Marreese Speights will move into the backup center role, behind Andrew Bogut.
Per the Contra Costa Times:
“It’s a big loss. Hopefully, he’ll be back before too long,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after practice. “Festus is a huge part of our rotation. He’s really had a good year.”
The Warriors’ depth is one of the club’s biggest weapons, as evidenced Saturday when their reserves outscored their counterparts from the Oklahoma City Thunder 42-17 in a victory that improved Golden State to 46-4.
“Mo is going to step in and play well for us,” Kerr said. “I just feel bad for Festus. It’s a contract year. We’re just keeping our fingers crossed that he’s going to be OK.” […] Ezeli was averaging 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in 40 games.
