A torn right labrum is a huge setback for Maryland’s Justin Jackson, writes Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post. The sophomore forward had considered entering the NBA draft last summer after averaging 10.5 points per game and shooting 44% from 3-point range during his first year in college. Jackson has been declared out for the remainder of this season and will face a difficult decision about returning to school for another year.
Jackson’s numbers declined somewhat this season as he tried to play through the shoulder pain. He missed the past three games and a decision to have surgery was reached this week after a second medical opinion. Jackson is ranked 22nd in Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft for ESPN.
“It’s an old injury,” said Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon. “It happened before he came to Maryland, is what the doctors told me. He reaggravated it a lot this year. So he’s a tough sucker. A torn labrum is a pretty significant injury; it’s pretty painful, and he tried to play through it for his team.”
There’s more NBA-related news from around the world:
- Former Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas has received five offers to play in the EuroLeague, relays Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). He only wants to sign for the rest of this season to give himself a shot at returning to the NBA. Kuzminskas was waived in mid-November when New York had to open a roster spot to accommodate Joakim Noah‘s return from his suspension. Kuzminskas had a promising rookie season with the Knicks, but only got into one game this year.
- Toney Douglas, who spent part of last season with the Grizzlies, has signed with Anadolu Efes in Turkey, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Douglas played 24 games for Memphis a year ago, but was waived twice during the season. The 31-year-old spent time with seven teams during his eight-year career. The Turkish team opened a roster spot by waiving former NBA guard Ricky Ledo, tweets international writer David Pick.
- Two players with previous NBA experience top Givony’s list of international targets for next season. Alexey Shved, now 29, is in the final year of his contract with Khimki Moscow and is leading both the Euroleague and the VTB League in scoring. He played 182 games for four NBA teams and last appeared in the league with the Knicks in 2015. Jan Vesely, the sixth player taken in the 2011 draft, has transformed into an athletic center for Fenerbahce in Turkey. His style of play fits the modern NBA, and the 27-year-old recently said he hasn’t given up on returning to the league.