Maliq Brown injury update: Jon Scheyer reveals Duke forward hospitalized

The Duke Blue Devils suffered a pair of major injuries in their ACC Tournament game against Georgia Tech. Now, they’ve gained a little more insight into the status of junior forward Maliq Brown.

Unfortunately, head coach Jon Scheyer had bad news after the game. He re-dislocated the shoulder he previously injured this season. That injury has now forced Brown to be hospitalized.

“Maliq was in a lot of pain,” Scheyer said. “He re-disclocated his shoulder … He’s at the hospital now. We’ll figure out how he’s doing.”

At the time he went down, it was a scary injury for Brown. He was seen visibly in pain after getting injured, potentially relating to his shoulder. He would meet with trainers before returning to the locker room. Duke then, very quickly made the decision to rule him out for the remainder of the game. Later, it was reported that Brown was seen being taken out of the arena on a stretcher. He would not return to the bench during the game.

Maliq Brown went down while trying to defend a drive by Georgia Tech’s Naithan George in the first half of Thursday’s game. He appeared to reach in and then got tangled up. This comes after Brown dislocated his left shoulder in February and has been working to return to action since then. Injuries are now mounting for him, as he also missed time with a sprained knee and a sprained toe earlier in the season.

This season, Maliq Brown has largely been a contributor off the bench. He’s averaging 2.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Prior to his time at Duke, he played for Syracuse.

Shortly after Maliq Brown went down, Duke star Cooper Flagg also was injured. Flagg went down after landing on his leg wrong, apparently rolling an ankle. He’d later be seen in a wheelchair going to get examined. That injury partially overshadowed Brown’s, but Duke immediately found itself getting tested without multiple players that the Blue Devils coaching staff was hoping to rely on.

Even with those injuries, Duke was able to beat Georgia Tech 78-70. Kon Knueppel stepped up and led the way with 28 points and eight assists. The Blue Devils would also go on to win the turnover battle. Now, they’ll await the winner of the North Carolina vs. Wake Forest game. Both of those in-state rivals are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and Duke would love to send them home. However, staying healthy for the NCAA Tournament is also going to be vital for the Blue Devils.