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Hubert Davis reveals Puff Johnson has 'a chance' to play vs. Syracuse after knee injury

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•01/23/23•

Jonathan Wagner

Puff Johnson UNC
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

North Carolina forward Puff Johnson did not play against NC State this weekend due to a knee injury. The issue popped up late last week, and UNC head coach Hubert Davis described it as a sore knee. But when UNC takes the court on Tuesday against Syracuse, Johnson has a chance to be available.

“Yeah, Puff is doing a lot better in practice,” Davis said of Johnson on Monday. “It was two days before the NC State game, his knee was just really sore. Went in for a layup and came down and just didn’t feel good. So every day has gotten better.

“There is a chance he could play tomorrow. I haven’t seen him today, we haven’t had practice yet. But it was just a sore knee and it was sore enough that he didn’t feel like he could play against NC State. Yesterday he didn’t practice, but he was moving a lot better. It just keeps getting better every day.”

UNC found success on Saturday without Johnson, defeating NC State in Raleigh 80-69. But moving forward, having Johnson at full strength will be important for the Tar Heels.

Johnson has played in 16 games this season with two starts. He averages 14.9 minutes per game as one of the top players off the bench for UNC, posting 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. From the field, Johnson is shooting 43.8 percent. He is also shooting a career-high from three-point range, hitting on 36.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

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Throughout his UNC career, Johnson’s role has continued to grow. He was a four-star recruit in the 2020 class, coming in as the No. 16 small forward across the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Even though he doesn’t usually find himself in the starting lineup, Johnson still plays a valuable part in UNC’s attack.

Getting back the key bench piece will be important down the stretch for the Tar Heels. UNC plays at Syracuse on Tuesday night, with tip-off scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are off this upcoming weekend, but matchups against Pittsburgh and Duke await the following week as the sprint to the postseason continues.