Duke's Scheyer 'optimistic' that Maliq Brown can return this season from shoulder injury

Duke coach Jon Scheyer is “optimistic” that versatile forward Maliq Brown will return this season from a shoulder injury.

The 6-foot-9 junior was hurt after playing just 10 minutes in the third-ranked Blue Devils' win at Virginia on Monday. He appeared to injure his left arm reaching into a passing lane to deflect a ball, and had his arm in a sling afterward.

Scheyer said Thursday that medical imaging had found nothing unexpected with what he described as a dislocated shoulder. The Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) step out of league play to face the Big Ten's Illinois in New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

“We're optimistic that we can get him back this season,” Scheyer said in a virtual call with reporters. “I think the hardest part is, a lot of it has to do with his stability, which right now he’s pretty sore still. So we have to see how much time that takes.”

Scheyer said Brown won't play “in the next week or so at minimum” and estimated he'd be out a few weeks. Duke has just five games left in the regular season.

Brown, a transfer from Syracuse, averages just 2.5 points and 4.1 rebounds. But his value has gone beyond raw numbers; his ability to switch and defend multiple positions off the bench has been a key piece of a defense that ranks fourth nationally in KenPom's adjusted efficiency metrics by allowing 90.9 points per 100 possessions.

Brown had recently returned from a four-game absence because of a knee injury.

“We need him back, fully healthy,” Scheyer said.

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