Wizards' Tre Johnson Sidelined with Hip Injury

Johnson suffered the injury during the game against the Toronto Raptors in NBA Cup action. Still, he had been dealing with it before then. Johnson first dealt with hip issues during his freshman year as a Texas Longhorn. This injury is the reason why he had minutes restrictions during Summer League. He recently aggravated this injury a few games ago, which explains his drop in minutes.

Johnson was averaging 11.5 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. Johnson was also bringing in three rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Defensively, he was not doing much, only averaging half a steal and a block each night. Still, his offense and transition shooting are what are getting him minutes and a few starting nods throughout the season.

How Serious is Tre Johnson's Injury?

Strains should be taken seriously. Some players who have dealt with strains to specific parts of the body and played through them are now sitting out with significant injuries. This was evident during the playoffs, when Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton suffered calf strains, only to tear their Achilles tendons while trying to play through them. In the midst of a rebuild and Johnson looking to be a key piece of this future core, the front office and coaching staff do not want him to turn this minor injury into a major one.

Strains have taken the league by storm, with multiple players sitting out games due to them. The most notable one at the moment is Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets, who has a grade two hamstring strain that has him sitting out at least four to six weeks. Stephon Castle with the San Antonio Spurs has the same injury as the Wizards' rookie, and Castle will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Using these other injuries can give us an estimation of when Johnson will return to the court. Hip flexor strains usually take anywhere from two to four weeks to heal. However, the Wizards front office may want to play it safe amid a tanking season and could sit him out for longer. After all, there is no reason to rush him back since the Wizards do not have playoff aspirations this season.

Other players dealing with injuries or lingering issues this season for Washington include Marvin Bagley III, Khris Middleton, Alex Sarr, AJ Johnson, and Bilal Coulibaly. The majority of these injuries are lingering and have not seen them sit out extended time, but Coulibaly is the exception to that list, as he had surgery before the season started. All that Johnson needs to focus on now, though, is to take some time to rest and continue his All-Rookie team campaign in a few weeks.