Senior Ryan Kelly will have his right foot examined for an injury that will keep him out indefinitely and cause him to miss Saturday's game against No. 20 North Carolina State.
Ryan Kelly injury: Duke senior out indefinitely with hurt foot
Duke forward Ryan Kelly will miss a seemingly significant amount of time for the top-ranked Blue Devils with an injury in his right foot. The 6’11 senior has turned into the team’s best three-point shooter, hitting 52.1 percent of his threes.
Grant Halverson
The exact nature of the 6’11 forward’s injury is uncertain, but he suffered it against Clemson in a 68-40 blowout, not returning to the bench after halftime for several minutes. He had previously injured the same foot last year, causing him to miss the conference and NCAA tournaments. CBS’ Jeff Goodman reports that sources indicate it could keep him out for several weeks. Duke’s official Twitter confirmed he’d miss at least the next game.
Kelly has come on strong his senior year for the top-ranked Blue Devils: once a sub-par shooter, Kelly is shooting a blistering 52.1 percent from downtown this year, the best on the team and the 12th-best in the nation, a factor which really spreads the floor. He’s third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.
It's not really clear who will replace Kelly, as Mike Krzyzewski has played a tight rotation all year: 6'8 freshmen Amile Jefferson and Alex Murphy are both listed at forward and have played spot minutes in most games, but the best match for Kelly's size is Marshall Plumlee, the freshman brother of leading scorer and rebounder Mason Plumlee and current NBA forward Miles Plumlee. The freshman has only played in four games after being injured, but those include the last two outings.
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