Al Jefferson has been fully cleared by the Hornets' medical staff after dealing with a knee injury near the end of the regular season.

Jefferson has been fully cleared by the Hornets' medical staff after dealing with a knee injury near the end of the regular season.

Analysis:

GM Rich Cho addressed the media Thursday and confirmed that Jefferson has been in Charlotte for several weeks working with the team's strength coach in preparation for next season. Jefferson battled both knee and groin injuries in 2014-15, limiting him to just 65 games as his per-game scoring averaged dipped to 16.6 points per game, his lowest number since the 2006-07 season. When healthy, Jefferson is among the most productive big men in the league, and the Hornets will be expecting a bounce-back season in 2015-16.