Justin Patton has had incredibly tough luck at the early stage of his career. He's dealt with a slew of injuries that have hampered his development. The Minnesota Timberwolves big man and former first-round draft pick had suffered another broken foot according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
To make matters worse, this time around, Patton broke his right foot. He's had multiple surgeries on his left foot already in his young career.
How long this injury will sideline Patton is still somewhat uncertain, but whenever a young player suffers through multiple injuries, another setback can feel monumental.
Patton has only appeared in one game in his NBA career. He spent most of his time with the Iowa Wolves — Minnesota's G-League affiliate — last season. In 38 games he averaged 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
It's unclear how Patton factors into Tom Thibodeau's plans this year. Regardless, Minnesota's depth just took a hit. Thibodeau doesn't usually go deep into his bench, but Patton's injury makes the Timberwolves' frontcourt a bit thinner.
Hopefully, Patton can recover from this injury and return to the court soon. He hasn't had the opportunity to develop because he's had to deal with so many injuries. Patton is incredibly athletic and he's a gifted passer for his size. He's still raw, but a huge part of that is injuries.
The Timberwolves have a club option on Patton for next season. Minnesota hopes that Patton can recover from this setback and unleash some of the potentials that got him drafted 16th overall in 2017.
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