Jon Scheyer sets potential timeline on Cooper Flagg's return from injury

Duke Men’s basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has provided a positive update on the team’s star player Cooper Flagg, who is currently on the treatment table. Flagg has been nursing an ankle injury he picked up in the quarterfinal of Duke’s ACC tournament clash against Georgia Tech last Thursday.

The injury forced him to miss Duke’s semifinal game against the UNC Tar Heels and the championship game against Louisville. Although the Blue Devils won the two games to win the ACC Tournament and secure the No.1 seed for the NCAA tournament, Scheyer cannot wait to have his star player back.

Speaking to ESPN’s Rece Davis after winning the ACC tournament, Scheyer says the target is to have Flagg back in time for Duke’s first game of the NCAA tournament.

“Well, from my perspective, he’s forcing ahead. I want to get Coop back as quickly as we can and he wants to do the same,” Scheyer said.

“You know obviously tomorrow is important. We had an off day today, we got back late. We are hoping he can start to progress tomorrow, doing some on-court work and then build up to when he can practice later in the week.

However, while Scheyer is eager to have Flagg back, he insists that the team will be smart with how they push him to avoid reaggravating the injury.

“So our goal is for Friday, no question about it. I know that’s his goal as well. We're just gonna progress in the right way and still be smart about not doing too much in the beginning of the week,” Scheyer added.

Cooper Flagg’s importance to Duke as Jon Scheyer’s men get NCAA date

While Duke has fared well in the absence of Flagg, his importance to the team cannot be overemphasized, which explains why Scheyer is eager to have him back as soon as possible.

The 6-foot-9 power forward, who is projected to be the No.1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season, while also being effective at the other end of the court.

Although the Blue Devils should be able to navigate the first game in the NCAA tournament without their star player, they will need Flagg if they are to go all the way.

Duke plays its first game of the NCAA tournament on Friday, with Scheyer’s men set to play one of American or Mount St. Mary's at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.

Should Flagg return for that game, it would be exactly one week after he picked up that ankle injury in the quarterfinal of the ACC tournament.