Al Jefferson expected to miss at least 4 weeks due to groin injury

Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson is expected to miss at least four weeks after an MRI showed a strain of an adductor muscle in his left groin, according to the team. Jefferson was previously able to play through the groin injury, but left the game on Monday in the fourth quarter. He was initially ruled out of Charlotte's next two games before tests revealed the full extent of the strain.

Jefferson suffered the initial injury on Dec. 20 against the Utah Jazz. It didn't keep him out of the lineup, however, despite being listed on the injury report before each game. Things got worse on Monday when he was forced out of the game in the fourth quarter and did not return. When announcing the injury, the Hornets said Jefferson would miss a minimum of four weeks, leaving the possibility open that he could be out even longer.

Replacing Jefferson will be a major challenge for the 10-22 Hornets. He leads the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game and rebounding at 8.2 points per game. He's started every game this season, but Bismack Biyombo is expected to step into the starting lineup in his place. Biyombo isn't likely to duplicate Jefferson's scoring production, but should be able to make up for at lest some of the missing rebounding. Biyombo is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game, despite playing just 14.0 minutes per contest. Jefferson played 32.2 minutes per game, leaving a lot of minutes to go around. Cody Zeller will likely also see an increase in time on the floor.