Yves Missi
Missi is the Pelicans' starting center but is out indefinitely with a left knee bone bruise, so for now he has no usable role and no return date.
Role
Nothing is expected while he is out. RealGM (Oct 24) says he won the starting center job after a strong finish to last season and a good preseason. In the two games he played this season he had 13 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks against Indiana, then 6 points in 9 minutes against Utah before he was hurt. Crescent City Sports and TalkBasket report that Derik Queen and Karlo Matkovic should take more minutes, with veteran DeAndre Jordan also in the mix. Crescent City Sports says Queen and Matkovic are not true fives. No minutes or usage numbers for the replacements were found, and no announced starter for his spot.
The injury is a bone bruise, not a structural injury. Crescent City Sports called the MRI result encouraging because he had been unable to put weight on the leg. He had already won the starting job and was a bright spot in an 0-2 start, so he should reclaim the role when healthy. The Pelicans have no true center behind him.
The team gave no timetable, and Siegel of ClutchPoints reported he will miss an extended period. One commenter on X guessed at least 6 weeks, which is a fan's estimate and not a report. He was helped off the floor after a hyperextension. He also has recent injury history: CBS Sports blurbs from a past stretch mention a foot and ankle sprain and a coach's decision to leave him out of the rotation. Those blurbs are undated and may be from last season. His starting job could be contested when he returns.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement on the role: Queen, Matkovic and Jordan absorb his minutes. The open question is the length of the absence. The team and reporters have given no timetable, and the only duration estimate found is an unofficial guess of about 6 weeks.
Injury: Out: assessed real
Left knee bone bruise, week-to-week
Out since Oct. 23 with no definitive return date despite a listed Nov. 8 target; coach's staff calling him week-to-week, so he should be sat through at least that window.
What would change this: Return to practice participation or an updated firmer timeline from the team.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at C
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