Will Wade: Xavier Pinson return from injury would make 'all the difference'

LSU basketball coach Will Wade believes having Xavier Pinson back from injury could turn around the season. In his Monday press conference, Wade said the point guard’s impact on the Tigers can’t be measured in sheer numbers.

“It would make all the difference in the world,” the coach said. “If we could get Pinson back close to 100%, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation right now. I know the numbers look — he’s averaging 10 points a game — but there’s so much other stuff he brings to our team. Not to mention our guys have a ton of confidence in him. The biggest thing that could help us is to have him back and as close to 100% as we can get him.”

Pinson suffered the injury in a Jan. 8 victory against Tennessee after slipping on a wet spot on the court. Although the senior transfer from Missouri avoided any damage to his ACL or MCL, he has struggled to get back on the court. He missed the next five games because of the injury before returning on Jan. 29 against TCU.

Although he was back from injury, Xavier Pinson looked far from his usual self over the next two games. The guard played just seven minutes off the bench against the Horned Frogs. He was back in the starting lineup next game against Ole Miss, but logged only 16 minutes in that loss.

After those two showings, Pinson was held out entirely Saturday against Vanderbilt. That puts his status for a Tuesday game against Texas A&M in serious doubt. If the Tigers get him healthy for that contest it would be huge, as he leads the team with 4.1 assists per game.

“We’ll see,” Wade said about Pinson’s health. “He’s looked better. He worked out at Vanderbilt and looked better yesterday. With him back we have more options, more accountability. There’s a lot of different things that can happen with him being back and being somewhat healthy. That would make a vast majority of the difference.”

Tip off between the Tigers and Aggies is set for 7 p.m. ET Tuesday in College Station.