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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alec Burks will undergo left shoulder surgery Wednesday morning and miss the remainder of the season.
The Utah Jazz guard was averaging 13.9 points, a career-high 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game this season, but could not play with the same abandon that typified his play his first two years because of pain.
"Alec's long-term health has been our top priority throughout this process, and although it is unfortunate that we will be without his services on the court the rest of this season, we commend Alec's commitment and continued effort to play through considerable pain to this point," said Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey.
Burks, who signed a four-year contract extension in October, has missed the past two games because of the shoulder injury.
Shoulder pain has dogged him since his collegiate days at Colorado but this season he has left several games to seek treatment in the locker room. Until this point, Burks had always opted to play despite any discomfort.
"Alec has been tough. He's played through a lot of it. But now it's just the right thing to do," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "It will leave a hole for sure and there's no one else we have that can do the things Alec can do. We just need the other guys to step up now."
Burks had previously missed two games after he hurt the shoulder against Denver on Dec. 1 and had been treating the injury with physical therapy. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard, the 12th overall selection in the 2011 draft, will have surgery on Wednesday at the University of Utah.
"After continued consultation with our medical staff, Alec and his representation, we have unanimously agreed that it would be most prudent for Alec to have this procedure performed now in order to ensure that he will be healthy and ready for the start of next season," Lindsey said.
Rookie Rodney Hood will take Burks' place in the starting lineup.
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