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Fractured foot sidelines North Carolina's Theo Pinson indefinitely
On the verge of breaking into North Carolina’s starting lineup for the first time in his career, Theo Pinson suffered an ill-timed injury.
The junior swingman fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during practice earlier this week. It’s unclear how long Pinson will be unable to play because North Carolina has not yet determined a treatment plan for the injury.
“I’m so disappointed for Theo,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said in a statement. “Number one, he’s been playing well and he does so many positive things for our team. Theo’s our energy guy, he defends, he’s our best passer, a threat on the offensive boards, he can play four different positions, and he gives our team personality, and I mean that in a good way. Hopefully we can get him back before the end of the season.”
An extended absence for Pinson is a massive blow for a North Carolina team that already must replace stars Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson from last year’s national runner-up squad. Pinson was a key player off the bench for that team, averaging 4.5 points, leading the Tar Heels in assists per minute and bringing out the best in his teammates with his hustle and enthusiasm.
The expectation entering the season was that Pinson would slide into Paige’s spot in the starting five alongside point guard Joel Berry and small forward Justin Jackson. For the time being, that role could instead go to senior Nate Britt with freshman Seventh Woods seeing more playing time off the bench.
The 6-foot-1 Britt is a capable shooter and distributor, but he’s not nearly as disruptive or versatile a defender as the 6-foot-6 Pinson, nor does he provide the same level of contagious enthusiasm.
This is the third time in Pinson’s basketball career that he has broken the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. He missed 10 games during his freshman season at North Carolina because of the injury, and was not nearly as effective after returning to the floor.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
