AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Jrue Holiday played through injuries last season and ended up missing the final 48 games due to a stress fracture in his shin. After the 2013 All-Star point guard showed signs of discomfort during halftime Monday’s game in Boston, he was pulled from the action as a precaution. Tyreke Evans started in his place for New Orleans to begin the third quarter. Holiday won’t play tonight at Detroit, either, as he deals with inflammation in his right ankle.
“We think it’s day-to-day, but we’re not going to put a timetable on Jrue,” Pelicans fifth-year head coach Monty Williams said. “One thing our fans have to understand is that if Jrue is in pain, he’s in pain. He plays through a lot of stuff. Last year he played with a broken elbow that nobody even knew about, because he played right through it. I had to be his brains the other day (in Boston). I had to sit him down. He wanted to continue (to play), but I didn’t like what I saw from him. It was tough for me to do that, but we always look out for our players.”
Williams added that Eric Gordon and Jimmer Fredette may see some playing time at point guard. Brand-new Pelicans addition Nate Wolters also could play, even though he just joined the team this morning at shootaround.
“We’ve got to do it by committee,” Williams said of the point-guard role while Holiday is sidelined. “You may see Eric at some point tonight, Jimmer.”
On Wolters’ chance to play as soon as tonight, Williams said, “You know me, I’m not afraid to put guys in the fire and take chances. If you’re going to do anything great, sometimes you have to take chances. If I see a moment where I think he can help us, he’ll be out there tonight.”
More from Williams on Wolters: “He’s a smart guy. That’s one of the reasons we brought him in. We knew his IQ was pretty high for a young player.”