Tyrese Proctor injury update: Duke guard will not return with leg injury

The news is official: Duke guard Tyrese Proctor is OUT for the remainder of the Blue Devils’ game against Georgia Tech after suffering a lower leg injury early in the first half.

Proctor appeared to hurt his leg on one of the very first possessions of the game and was helped off the court by teammates. Several minutes later, college hoops insider Jon Rothstein reported that Proctor had been taken to the locker room with what he deemed as a “scary” injury.

Then, at the beginning of the second half, the Duke team Twitter account announced that Proctor had suffered a lower leg injury and would not return for the rest of the afternoon vs. the Yellow Jackets. Here was that tweet from Duke Men’s Basketball:

“NEWS: Tyrese Proctor will not return today. Suffered lower leg injury early in the 1st half.”

Shortly after that news came from the Blue Devil social media team, the CW broadcast showed a clip of Proctor on the bench as trainers tended to him, wrapping an ice pack around one of his feet. That’s not a pleasant sight or a good sign for the sophomore.

Proctor named a top NBA Draft prospect in the ACC

Coming into the season, Tyrese Proctor was hailed as one of the driving forces behind a likely Duke resurgence. The Blue Devils had a fine year one under John Scheyer, making out as a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament before a round-of-32 exit. But ahead of the 2024 campaign, the returns of Proctor and Kyle Filipowski appeared to give Duke a much higher ceiling this season.

So far, Proctor hasn’t taken as big a scoring leap as some may have hoped, but NBA scouts are still very intrigued in the lengthy perimeter playmaker, who’s showcasing some high-level passing chops as a second-year player, evidenced by his 5.1 assists per game thus far this season.

With his unique combination of skills and athleticism as a lankier guard, plus the strong production he’s showing in year two, On3’s Jamie Shaw has Tyrese Proctor as the No. 3 NBA Draft prospect in the ACC. He writes:

“Tyrese Proctor entered this season with a lot of hype after he had a strong finish to a disastrous start to last season. Proctor looks the part with length and good size. His shooting form also looks good and he has passing touch and vision. The inconsistency in his game comes when making plays off the bounce.

“His assists are up, almost double, from last season and his turnovers are down. Proctor is taking care of possessions and getting the ball to the right spots. However, he is not putting much pressure on the rim and has not played a very dynamic style. Proctor’s stock has dropped a little as the season has started, but there has been some improvement in the numbers.

“Can he start putting two feet in the paint and making a play and can he start making shots? He is one who could go up or down this list as the season progresses. He has shown quick hands on defense and a willingness to consistently stick his nose in the play.