LaMarcus Aldridge out for remainder of season after shoulder surgery

San Antonio Spurs center and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge won't be returning to the court for the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign. The 34-year-old, who underwent right shoulder surgery in April, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, the Spurs announced Monday.

Aldridge injured his shoulder in a game against the Utah Jazz in February and while he did miss time, he still played up until the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The seven-time All-Star is expected to be ready to go for the 2020-21 campaign, which is now set to begin in December.

"Disappointed I won't get to finish the season with my teammates, but excited that I'll be fully ready to go next season and beyond," Aldridge said, according to the Spurs.

The Spurs certainly will miss Aldridge once the NBA season returns on July 31 at Walt Disney World with a 22-team format. He ranks second on the team in points per game (18.9) behind DeMar DeRozan, first in rebounds per game (7.4) and fifth in assists per game (2.4).

San Antonio will be one of the three teams in the Western Conference battling for the eighth spot in the playoffs and will have eight regular season games to get close enough to the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies to force a play-in tournament for the last playoff spot.