Yohan Traore injury update: Andy Enfield reveals latest on SMU forward

The SMU Mustangs saw Yohan Traore go down with a concerning injury. Now, head coach Andy Enfield has shared a little bit of insight into the SMU forward’s status.

While Enfield was brief in his assessment of Traore, there was plenty to glean from what he did say. It’s a hip injury for Traore and that’s going to make him day-to-day moving forward. Luckily, it doesn’t sound overly severe and he could potentially return for the Mustangs’ next game.

“He has a hip injury and we’re hoping he’s back for the next game,” Enfield said. “But it’s gonna be day-to-day this week. We’re not sure.”

Traore last played in SMU’s win over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday, February 5th. He played four minutes in that game before going down. Since then, he’s missed one game, a 20-point win over the Pitt Panthers.

In the 22 games that Traore has played this season, including 16 games that he started, he’s averaging 18.3 minutes per game. He’s averaging 7.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. From the field, he’s shooting 48.1 percent and 34.4 percent from three-point range. On the defensive end, he’s averaging 0.3 blocks and 0.2 steals per game.

Coming out of Dream City Christian in Arizona, Traore was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the fourth-ranked power forward and the 22nd-ranked player nationally in that recruiting cycle, originally attending Auburn before transferring to UC Santa Barbara and now SMU.

This season, the first for Enfield at SMU, has seen the Mustangs go 19-5 to this point overall as well as 10-3 in ACC play. That puts the Mustangs toward the top of the conference standings, as they sit in fourth place. That’s half a game ahead of Wake Forest and 2.5 games behind first-place Duke. With seven games remaining in the season, SMU has an opportunity to make a move right now, and being as healthy as possible would help, especially since the Demon Deacons are up next on the schedule.

At the same time, the NCAA Tournament is on the horizon and it’s more important for SMU to get healthy for that game, so there is a balance to consider when potentially pushing Yohan Traore to play through some pain. In the latest bracketology, the Mustangs are currently getting an 11-seed in the First Four. That’s because their tournament hopes are in a tight spot as a member of the Last Four In. So, adding wins in the regular season, especially against tough opponents, is also vital.