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Hornets' Clifford on Jefferson: 'Not going to be 100 percent the rest of the year'

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / reuters

Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson is pushing through the pain to keep his team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Jefferson is battling right knee soreness and Hornets head coach Steve Clifford believes the injury won't fully heal until after the season.

"Al is not going to be 100 percent here the rest of the year. He is just not," Clifford told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.

"The other night he was limping. He feels better today, but it is going to be game-to-game with him," Clifford added. "He doesn’t want to sit, he wants to play through it, so we just have to read it."

A season ago, Jefferson's stellar play guided the Hornets to a surprising 43-39 record and a trip to the postseason. The crafty pivot averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds and captured third-team All-NBA honors.

This season has been a different story for both Jefferson and his team. The Hornets have taken a giant step back and sit 10 games under .500 and a half-game back of eighth. That has coincided with Jefferson's injury-plagued season. Jefferson's numbers are down to 17 points and 8.6 rebounds as the 30-year-old has toiled through knee and groin injuries. 

A comparison of Jefferson's numbers: 

Statistic 2013-14 2014-15
PPG 21.8 17
RPG 10.8 8.6
MPG 35 31.2
TS% 53.2 50
USG% 29.3 26.4
PER 22.7 19.8

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