Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis missed Indiana’s exhibition game against Marian with an injury, and then played the second exhibition against Saint Francis and the regular season-opener against Morehead State with his right hand wrapped.
During a media availability over Zoom on Wednesday, IU head coach Mike Woodson clarified it’s a thumb injury for the senior. He doesn’t know how long Jackson-Davis will have to keep playing with his hand wrapped.
“I think he had a severe sprain in the thumb area. (Team trainer) Tim Garl padded it just to give him some relief, and it seems to be working for him,” Woodson said. “He had taken a couple days away, too, just to get it calmed down. We’ve just got to hope that it’s not something that’s going to nag him the rest of the season.”
Woodson added that they’re approaching the situation with caution given how early in the season it is and how important Jackson-Davis is to IU’s success.
The injury didn’t prevent Jackson-Davis from playing well on opening night. He led IU with seven rebounds, and tied for the team lead with 15 points, on a 6-of-11 shooting line. He added two assists, two steals, and a block in 23 minutes of action.
Woodson can relate to the injury his star is dealing with. He once suffered a thumb injury as well, and he still remembers that pain.
“I broke my thumb, I remember — his is not broken, but I broke the tip of my thumb, and it’s a tough injury,” Woodson said. “I never sat down. I put a splint over it, and out of all the injuries I’ve had, that was the worst, because the pain was just unbelievable. You throw the ball, you try to catch the ball with a broken thumb, it’s tough.”
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