Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Rudy Fernandez underwent a successful microdiscectomy Tuesday to alleviate pain in his right leg, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today.
Fernandez, 24, will miss 4-6 weeks as a result of the procedure, which relieved pressure from a nerve root in his lower back that caused pain in his right leg.
“The procedure was successful and we can now turn our attention to getting Rudy healthy and back on the court,” said Pritchard. “He’s been under a lot of pain and we look forward to Rudy returning healthier than ever.”
Dr. George Shanno performed the procedure at Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center in Vancouver, Wash.
Fernandez appeared in Portland’s first 20 games this season, averaging 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 23.3 minutes. He leads the Trail Blazers and ranks among NBA leaders with 1.55 steals per game.
The Palma de Mallorca, Spain, native leads team qualifiers with a 38.8 percent (31-for-80) mark from three-point range. Fernandez’s 159 three-pointers last season set an NBA rookie record.
