The New Orleans Pelicans are set to be without point guard Elfrid Payton for more time, following an injury suffered playing against the New York Knicks on Friday night.

The 24-year-old sustained a fractured pinky on his left hand during the 129-124 win and will visit a hand surgeon this week.

So far, there's no timetable for the player's return.

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Payton was brought in on a one-year deal as a replacement for Rajon Rondo, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers over the summer. But the Pelicans have been forced into playing without him and will have to use Jrue Holiday as their main point guard.

This is a rather unfortunate spell for the player, who had only just returned from a nine-game absence; his comeback lasted just eight minutes.

"New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton suffered a fractured left fifth finger during last night’s game against the New York Knicks. Payton will see a hand surgeon next week," the team announced on Saturday. Additional updates will be provided upon further evaluation."

They will have to continue with Holiday at the point, and head coach Alvin Gentry has admitted that it's very difficult as the player provides so much playing off the ball.

“I think it takes away what he’s great at,” Gentry said. “I thought him and Elfrid was a really good team. But, it’s not there and we have to make adjustments and there’s other things we’ll change. Obviously, we don’t know how long Elfrid will be out.

“Wesley is a good defensive player and he allows Jrue to take breaks and not always guard the No. 1 scorer on the floor. He’s been really good with that.

“We play through some of the other guys when we can. We play through Julius (Randle) because we feel like he’s a good player and good facilitator. Some of the other stuff we do in transition, our big guys end up being the decision makers anyway.”

via espn.com

What This Means

With Payton out of the lineup, the Pels are short at the point guard position and will continue to sacrifice some of Holiday's capabilities.

Payton has only played six games so far this season and is averaging 9.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. His presence will certainly be missed, but the team isn't likely to suffer significantly without him in the lineup.

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