Toronto Raptors new free agent acquisition Jared Sullinger may not see the court for them until the 2017 calendar year.
Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri said on Monday that Sullinger is expected to miss 2-3 months after undergoing foot surgery, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
Raptors were given a rough timeline of 2-3 months for Jared Sullinger's recovery from foot surgery, according to Masai Ujiri
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 24, 2016
News of Sullinger missing extended time because of the injury, which apparently occurred in a preseason game earlier this month, first broke over the weekend. Now that a timetable has taken shape, it’s even more disheartening, especially since the ailment is to the same left foot where Sullinger had a stress fracture in 2015. Health concerns also caused him to fall out of the lottery in the 2012 NBA Draft.
The Ohio State product was expected to start at power forward for Toronto in 2016-17, but now Raptors head coach Dwane Casey is hinting that Patrick Patterson is the frontrunner to replace Sullinger in the starting lineup with rookie Pascal Siakam also figuring to be in the mix.
Casey called Patterson the leading candidate to start in place of Sullinger but still deciding between him & Siakam, could go "back & forth"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 24, 2016
Patterson is strong on the offensive glass and shoots the three well, but he seems to be better suited for a bench role. Meanwhile, Siakam has impressed in training camp and the preseason, but he remains an unproven 22-year-old big who still lacks some polish. Either way, Casey may have to get creative now that he has to juggle these vacant minutes at the 4 all of a sudden.
Image Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
H/T theScore
