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UNC Basketball: Puff Johnson’s Availability For Duke Game

By Aaron Conrad

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 04: Puff Johnson #14 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbles the against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of the game during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 04, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 04: Puff Johnson #14 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbles the against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of the game during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 04, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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UNC Basketball Head Coach Hubert Davis gave a brief update on Junior guard Puff Johnson ahead of the pivotal rivalry game versus Duke on Saturday.

Tar Heel junior guard/forward Puff Johnson appears to be ready to make his return from injury in the pivotal game this Saturday against Duke at Cameron Indoor Arena. Johnson has not played since recording 12 minutes against Boston College on January 17th.

The reason for Johnson’s absence has been listed as “right knee soreness.”

In his press conference on Friday, Hubert Davis says that Johnson should be good to go as the Tar Heels take on Duke on Saturday night.

The odyssey of the player that Johnson can or cannot be continues. In the tournament last season, Johnson played so hard that he became physically ill on the floor at one point. With size, length, and athleticism, Tar Heel fans have long wondered what an asset he can be to this team. While he is clearly not his brother Cameron Johnson, he still has an undeniable set of tools. He plays as hard as any player on the floor.

When he is on the floor.

That has been the challenge for his time in Chapel Hill. Can he be on the floor? Can he stay healthy long enough to gain momentum and grow in his role with this team?

Johnson is averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per contest for the season.

Last season he averaged 3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 10.4 minutes.

In his freshman season, he averaged 1.1 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 4.1 minutes.

Those numbers tell the story that, yes, there has been growth but not the kind of growth you want to see between seasons. In fairness to Johnson, he hasn’t been healthy enough to claim his spot in the rotation. When healthy, he is often the first or second player off the bench for Coach Davis.

The question remains if he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season to help this team achieve its goals.

Based on what Coach Davis said, he should be able to begin that process tomorrow.

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