Washington Wizards rookie Tre Johnson is expected to miss “several weeks” with a left hip flexor strain, head coach Brian Keefe told reporters Monday.
Johnson, 19, missed Saturday’s 121-120 loss to the Chicago Bulls due to his hip injury. Keefe said Johnson has been on an “unannounced minutes restriction” this season and re-aggravated the injury against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, which explains why the rookie played just 18 minutes per game — his three lowest minutes totals this season — over his last three contests.
Keefe said Johnson’s injury dates back to his college days at Texas and that the rookie has played through “a lot of pain this season.”
The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 11.5 points per game on 39.5% 3pt. He will be reevaluated in “a minimum of a couple of weeks.”
For reference, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is dealing with the same hip flexor injury. The Spurs announced Castle is expected to miss “2-3 weeks” with the hip strain, which makes sense as a similar timeline for Johnson’s recovery and eventual return.
See More: