"Very eye opening": Flau'jae Johnson explains humbling experience of missing out on SEC tournament due to injury

LSU star Flau'jae Johnson gave fans an update on her injury status and recovery process during her recent episode of the 'Best of Both Worlds with Flaujae' podcast. Johnson has spent the past two weeks sidelined with a shin injury, forced to watch her teammates compete in the SEC Tournament without her.

The No. 10 Tigers were eliminated in the semifinals, falling to No. 2 Texas 56-49 last week. Johnson, who was averaging a team-high 18.9 points per game before her injury, opened up about the difficulty of not being able to take the floor with her teammates and how humbling the experience has been.

"It's been weird not being able to play, but it's been very eye-opening," Johnson said (25:16 onwards). "I feel like I see stuff from a different perspective, and I feel like it's going to help me when I come back.

"It was hard at first. At first, I was like, 'All right, yeah, I can't do this,' but then I realized you couldn't feel sorry for yourself. You just got to pick yourself up and keep moving."

Flau'jae Johnson, a First-Team All-SEC guard, explained her mindset shift and how she has stayed engaged with her team during her rehab process, offering advice and coaching from the sidelines.

"I've been taking my recovery serious. I've been taking my treatment serious, I've been taking my conditioning serious," she added. "I'm just excited to get back on the court. As soon as they tell me I can go, I'm going to lace my shoes up and go. I'm so, so, so excited."

Flau'jae Johnson's absence costs LSU two losses in the last three games

LSU had a hard time getting one back in the absence of Flau'jae Johnson's scoring for them, dropping two of the last three games, including the semifinal against Texas in the SEC Tournament.

Kim Mulkey's Tigers could only manage 49 points against the Longhorns in what was their most anemic performance of the season. Prior to Johnson's injury, LSU had not scored below 56 points in any game this campaign.

To double down on the Tigers' heartbreak, another key contributor Aneesah Morrow sustained a foot injury in the semifinal game. However, Mulkey gave some hope on both injury statuses by claiming that they will be ready for March Madness.

The Lady Tigers, who won the NCAA national championship in 2023, will learn its seeding and opening-round matchup on Selection Sunday, March 16.