Auburn confirmed on Sunday that forward Jaylin Williams’ right knee injury is not anticipated to end his season. Midway through the second half of the 13th-ranked Tigers’ 70-59 loss to No. 22 Kentucky on Saturday, Williams went up for a contested dunk and hurt himself. To find out the extent of the damage, he had an MRI.
Auburn released a statement on Sunday. “Graduate senior forward Jaylin Williams was evaluated this morning and has a non-season-ending knee injury,” the statement read. Williams posted on social media, assuring worried followers, “I’m going to be fine.”
In 26 games (all starts), Williams is averaging 13 points and 4.7 rebounds for Auburn (20-6, 9-4 SEC), which lost its previous 16 home games on Saturday. The 6-foot-8 big leads the squad in 3-point shooting percentage (41.4%) and overall shooting (58.1%). Following Saturday’s defeat, Tigers coach Bruce Pearl remarked, “If Jaylin’s out, we’re going to have to figure some things out.” We have guys who I believe will step up. However, Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams are our two top players. Therefore, the next man up must step up if he is gone for a short duration. That is a noteworthy setback.”
In Williams’ place, 6-foot-7 forward Chaney Johnson is probably going to see increased playing time. Johnson’s averages for the season are 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. On Saturday, Auburn will play its next game—a road trip versus Georgia.
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