Charlotte Hornets C Al Jefferson reportedly pain free

By Phil Watson | Sep 14, 2014

Apr 26, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA;Charlotte Bobcats center Al Jefferson (25) shoots the ball over Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the second half in game three of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Heat defeated the Bobcats 98-85. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson was limited during the playoffs because of a plantar fascia injury, but coach Steve Clifford says the All-NBA big man is pain free now.

"“He’s here doing all the workouts,” Clifford told the Charlotte Observer. “He’s had no pain, no restrictions.”"

Jefferson was a revelation for the then-Bobcats last season after signing a three-year, $41 million free agent deal in July 2013.

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In 73 games last season, Jefferson averaged 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocks in 35 minutes per game, shooting .509/.200/.690 and earning third-team All-NBA honors.

That helped Charlotte more than double its win total from the previous season, as the Bobcats went 43-39 after finishing 21-61 the previous season. Charlotte made the playoffs for the first time since 2010, but was swept by the Miami Heat in the first round.

That said, the Hornets are still shopping for frontcourt depth after first-round pick Noah Vonleh underwent surgery on a sports hernia and will miss six to eight weeks, including most or all of training camp and the preseason.

"“Noah going down means we need to add another big guy,” Clifford said. “Right now we have four guys who are healthy—Marvin (Williams), Cody (Zeller), Al and Biz (Bismack Biyombo.“Some things you can overcome for a few games. But you never want to come up short on size in this league. Very hard to win like that.”"

The franchise restored the Hornets name for this season after playing 10 seasons as the Bobcats, an expansion team awarded two years after the first Hornets team moved to New Orleans.