Jrue Holiday's return this season in doubt

So much for Jrue Holiday returning in two-to-four weeks. 

The New Orleans Pelicans point guard aggravated the stress reaction in his right leg over the All-Star break and will remain in a walking boot for at least another two weeks, reports John Reid of The Times-Picayune. His progress over that time will largely determine whether he plays again this season. 

Holiday will have missed over six weeks by the time he's re-evaluated and after injuries to teammates Anthony Davis (shoulder) and Ryan Anderson (knee), New Orleans' long-shot playoff odds appear to be even more remote.

New Orleans is hanging tough, sitting ninth in the loaded West and 2.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for eighth. But the Thunder are on a roll, having won seven consecutive, and added legitimate reinforcements at the trade deadline to better help them sustain the loss of Kevin Durant, who underwent another surgical procedure on his right foot. 

Holiday, who recently went to Los Angeles to get a second opinion on his leg, is not scheduled to do any rehabilitation over the next two weeks to avoid further setbacks. 

"I was going through basketball drills and the pain kind of increased,'' Holiday said about the aggravation. ''It's not like the pain is gone all the way. But just tried to do some basic drills and the pain increased quickly. It got to the point where it felt pretty good. Obviously there is something that's still in there.''

The sixth-year guard, who suffered a stress fracture in the same area last season and needed surgery, is averaging 15.2 points and 7.1 assists in 37 games, while posting a career-high 18.7 player efficiency rating. He last played Jan. 12. 

"Obviously I always want to play,'' he said. ''Obviously going through surgery and coming back and I mean having the reaction in the same leg that's different for me. Again, I think we have a good thing here and I'm trying to stay positive.''