Heat guard Shabazz Napier out for regular season after surgery

Miami Heat guard Shabazz Napier will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing successful surgery for a sports hernia, the team announced Wednesday.

Miami Heat guard Shabazz Napier will miss the remainder of the regular season after undergoing successful surgery for a sports hernia, the team announced Wednesday. 

Napier, a first-round pick in 2014, appeared in 51 games for the Heat this season, averaging 5.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game. The rookie guard had missed the last two games with what the team called a hip injury. 

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[daily_cut.NBA] Napier led UConn to a national title in his senior season at the school last year. 

The Heat are currently 34-40, good for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami is 0.5 games ahead of Brooklyn, which currently sits in the No. 8 spot, and two games behind Milwaukee for the No. 6 seed. 

The Heat play at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. 

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- Stanley Kay