Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 goals for Justin Patton in his rookie season
5. Get back from injury
The injury was a cruel blow to a budding young rookie, especially a first-rounder with dreams of making a real impact from day one.
The nature of the NBA season is that injuries are always going to be a part of the game, we just hoped Patton might be able to play at least one year before he went down with one.
One thing that first-yearyear players desperately need is that first Summer League and training camp to adjust to life playing basketball against full grown men, and not college athletes. This is where the injury might hurt Patton the most, with his training camp being limited due to the foot.
Lot of potential in 7-foot rookie Justin Patton but he's uncertain about when he'll return from a foot injury. Could be limited in camp. pic.twitter.com/k1Fxam5Kps
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) September 22, 2017
Breaks in the fifth metatarsal, a long bone on the outside of the foot, can be a tricky injury to deal with, especially for big men.
Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons is a testament to this fact, missing the entire 2016-17 season after breaking the exact same bone last season in his rookie training camp, but Patton told Kyle Ratke that he doesn’t see himself with a season-ending injury, in fact he seemed optimistic of a close return.
"I'm feeling good. I'm getting towards the end of the stages of my rehab," - Justin Patton on recovering from foot injury.
— Kyle Ratke (@Kyle_Ratke) September 22, 2017
Patton will be jumping out of his skin to get his first taste of NBA action, and the coaching staff in Minnesota will be anxious to see him out there. But for it to be a long, fruitful career, He will need to make sure he gets his body in order before making the leap from college freshman to NBA rookie.