You’d never know it by the way Kadeem Allen sprinted downcourt for that game-winning layup in Honolulu last Friday -- and maybe he didn’t either -- but Allen’s left knee wasn’t too happy at that point.
Allen walked out of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center with only a slight limp but the knee appeared to flare up upon his return to Tucson. UA coach Sean Miller didn't offer a timeline but it sounds like Allen could miss another game or two.
“To his credit, he really gutted it out” against Michigan State, Miller said. “I don't really know a timeline or prognosis. We’re taking it at 2-3 day increments, hoping that the swelling is OK. He doesn’t have any structural damage. There’s no surgery needed but he’s unable to play at this point.
Later, Miller added: “I don’t think he has an injury that’s going to take him a long time to get back but we’re certainly not going to lose sight of the big picture and rush him back. Kadeem would like to play right now but he can’t.”
With all the adversity the Wildcats have faced already this season, maybe it was no surprise that redshirting transfer guard Dylan Smith suffered a concussion without contacting anyone.
“Dylan was in a three-on-three and he’s the first player I’ve seen just slip, hit his head, and get a concussion,” Miller said. “So he’s not practicing now, either, which is amazing. It’s almost like ice was on the court. So we’re without him and I don’t know when he’ll return.”
Smith’s injury, plus the fact that Miller now wants to get walk-ons like Paulo Cruz some reps with the first or second teams, means UA is aiming to add a fourth walk-on to Cruz, guard Tyler Trillo and forward Jake DesJardins.
Miller said UA has already had a walk-on tryout and may follow that up by adding somebody else.
Cruz played in two brief stretches during the first half, something of a must for a team that needed to play both Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Kobi Simmons for 34 minutes against an opponent that constantly pressed.
“Paulo did a really good job the second time he came in, just killing a couple of minutes, and allowing one of our starters to take a deep breath,” Miller said. “Paulo hasn’t practiced a lot with team 1 or team 2. A lot of his role in practice is to make our team better. Now we’re gonna give him a different role where he’s going to get game reps and that will help. Ditto for Tyler and Jake. Their number wasn’t called but it could be called on Friday. We’re asking everybody to be ready.”
So what else can be said about Lauri Markkanen after he had 26 points and eight rebounds Tuesday?
Miller was continually asked about Markkanen throughout Tuesday’s post game press conference but had no problem replying.
Some of his responses:
On his ability and knowledge of the game: “He’s very well coached. He knows how to play the game and Lauri is strong. He’s not skinny. He’s 18 years old but physically he can take a pounding and I think that really shows. He doesn’t appear to be a 7-foot (player) because he’s not a rail thin 7 foot. He’s just built, his pull-ups he made tonight watching him go to the foul line under pressure, he’s a special, special player.”
“He’s really good. He’s really good. He’s a heck of a player. He’s every bit the kid in person, the student. I don’t think he’s got a B at Arizona, and practice-wise he’s consumed with becoming a great player. He’s one of our team’s hardest workers. Early to practice, most of the time he’s gonna stay after. I’m just so glad we have him.
On Markkanen’s combination of skill and size: “I’ve never seen it. I mean, I’m just calling it like it is. I was coach of USA Basketball’s U19 team and there were some phenomenal players who were a part of that group, a lot of guys you know. They’re no better than him. He just really knows how to play. He’s strong and it’s almost like he has the game of a 6-7 forward. He’s 7 foot.
“He’s going to do nothing but get better because he’s about the right things. It’s so refreshing to see somebody as talented as he is be so about the team, such a hard worker. It makes life easy for the coach. Aaron Gordon was a lot like that but he just had the right demeanor and attitude. That’s why his teammates respected him so much. Lauri’s the same way.
On whether he has to remind Markkanen to be aggressive: “I do but tonight I think he took a step forward in that. He recognized that we were in search of some shots. You’ve gotta realize our situation: it isn’t like we’ve had years of work where he’s at the three. When we started our season, he got no repetitions at the three at all. Everything was to play him at the four and five. This is just something that happened on the fly. So a lot of what you’re watching him do and watching our team go through is, were playing a group that hasn’t practiced very much together.
“It’s like we have a 7-footer at the three. You could say, `Coach Miller, you’re doing a poor job of getting him the ball around the basket.’ You’re right. We’re not there yet. I think when you watch us continue to develop Friday I think we’ll have the opportunity maybe to get him the ball in that situation better when he’s at the three. When he’s at the four and five, we’re a little more at ease because everybody out there has seen him for 30 practices. That’s part of what injuries do -- they take you out of sync as a group. It’s not just that player you’re missing but everybody is affected by that one player who is missing. Especially with Kadeem. He might be our most important player based on what he does on defense and on offense and Kadeem against Michigan State played the three with no practice at the three.”
Looked like Dusan Ristic struggled at times against the smaller frontcourts of Michigan State and Bakersfield, grabbing three offensive but only two defensive rebounds against the Roadrunners, who scored 21 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds.
But when asked about Ristic, Miller was upbeat.
“Dusan is doing fine,” Miller said. “We’re always on him to make sure he defensive rebounds. You always learn more when you watch a game for the second time but I would say a big part of Bakersfield’s run in the second half was a flurry of second shots. We got the stop and sometimes we really made them work. And they missed a shot in the last 10-15 seconds but they got a rebound and that turned into a three-point shot or a foul. Our big guys have got to do a great job of rebounding. Good teams, they don't give you second shots.
"But Dusan is gonna be fine. One of the things I’ve learned with him is confidence is really big. He’s our starter for a reason. He didn't play as well against Michigan State. I thought he did a better tonight and I think he’ll keep getting better.”
Miller didn’t have a problem with the flagrant-1 foul called against Parker Jackson-Cartwright with 13 minutes left in the game, when replays showed he pushed off a Bakersfield player and then swiped him in the face while trying to cut past him to get along the baseline.
Jackson-Cartwright was also called for a technical foul on Friday against Michigan State when he kept jawing with Miles Bridges even after an official warned them both to stop. Bridges was also called for a technical.
“I actually like it,” Miller said of PJC’s foul Tuesday, smiling. “It’s two technicals in two games. I’ve always told him to play with a chip on his shoulder. He’s just doing what the coach asked.
“We don’t want any of our players to get a technical but you know what? Parker has a different seat on the bus, and there’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of toughness to you. And obviously you want to keep that under control. But he had two people denying him. He had traps. They picked him up fullcourt for 40 minutes and he played with four fouls. Believe me, if you look at him right now, he’s as tired as he’s ever been. There’s a big difference playing 34 minutes (as he did Tuesday) and playing 28. Big. It does things to your body that you can’t imagine. We have to watch him as well. He’s important and we’re gonna need him Friday to do the same thing.”
Jackson-Cartwright averaged only 21.2 minutes last season while Allen started at the point, but has averaged 33.5 minutes in two games so far this season.
A PDF of the box score and our two main stories tonight are attached.
