UNC Basketball: Puff Johnson to begin 2021-22 season injured?

UNC basketball’s Puff Johnson may begin the 2021-22 season on the bench, hampered with nagging injuries.

North Carolina sophomore small forward Puff Johnson may not be available for the Tar Heels’ season-opener against Loyola next Tuesday. The oft-injured reserve wing continues to struggle with injuries sustained over the past couple of months that have kept him out of team practices.

First-year UNC head coach Hubert Davis has answered questions about Johnson’s status in recent weeks, addressing his latest rehabilitation and whether or not he’ll be ready to go when the regular season begins next week.

"“Puff has had a couple of injuries the last month and a half,” Davis said. “Right now he is dealing with a hip strain, which is one of those injuries, much like a hamstring, that you can’t rush back, you can’t fight through. You need rest and you need time and you need rehab, and that is where Puff is right now.”"

Johnson, brother of former Tar Heel and current Phoenix Suns sharpshooter Cameron Johnson, was not available during the Tar Heels’ intrasquad scrimmage at Late Night on October 15, or their “secret scrimmage” against the Florida Gators the following week. He now begins his second season at North Carolina similar to how he ended the first.

Johnson missed the second-half of his freshman season after suffering a sprained right toe. He battled through that nagging injury only to follow it up with multiple unrelated injuries this offseason. Now, he’ll again look to get healthy and back into the Tar Heels’ crowded rotation, one that even the healthiest of unexperienced sophomores would struggle to earn minutes.

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