After undergoing additional imaging on his troublesome left ankle, Pelicans wing Brandon Boston Jr. has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in that ankle and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team announced in a press release.
Boston has already missed New Orleans’ past 11 games, having been listed as out due to a left ankle sprain since February 10. It sounds like today’s announcement represents an update on his diagnosis rather than a new injury.
Boston, who was in camp with San Antonio last fall, was waived by the Spurs at the end of the preseason and claimed off waivers by the Pelicans, who converted him to a two-way contract the day before the regular season tipped off.
The 23-year-old played well on that two-way contract, appearing in 42 games (10 starts) for a banged-up New Orleans squad and averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in 23.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .436/.350/.788.
Boston’s strong play on his two-way deal earned him a promotion to the Pelicans’ standard roster last week. He signed a two-year contract that includes a minimum-salary team option for 2025/26 and will pay him $596,581 across the final six-and-a-half weeks of this season.
It’s unclear how many – if any – games Boston will actually get to play on that new contract in ’24/25. While the club set a reevaluation date of March 21, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be cleared to return at that time. If he’s able to make it back before the end of the season, the 6’6″ swingman will look to make his case for a spot on next season’s roster.