The Memphis Tigers have announced that freshman forward DJ Jeffries will not be returning to the court in the 2019-2020 season. Penny Hardaway announced on February first that he would miss 4-6 weeks with a serious PCL injury. Memphis was really hoping to have their budding star freshman back for tournament season.
Source: Memphis freshman D.J. Jeffries met with his doctor and all parties agreed it would be too big of a risk to return this season. He’s officially done for the season.
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) March 3, 2020
DJ Jeffries was having a great season before he went down with the PCL injury. He was averaging 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in his first season. Those stats were paired with him shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc. The level of play from the freshman was incredibly impressive and it is unfortunate that an injury cut his season short.
He stands at six feet and seven inches paired with a solid 225-pound frame. The Tigers season hasn’t been exactly what people were expecting with the departure of James Wiseman and the injury of Jeffries. The team is currently 20-9 overall and 5th in the American which is largely considered an underperformance for the team. Memphis has seen several problems this year, but they are still in the thick of things. Memphis could still make the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday.
DJ Jeffires is likely to come back to the Tigers next season and could find himself in the number one option role. His draft stock for the 2021 NBA Draft could also see a significant bump should he have another good season. He hopes to come back next season much improved and completely healthy. Penny Hardaway and the entire program is hoping for the same thing.
