The Pitt basketball program suffered a big loss last season when swingman Durand Johnson was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
While at the time his 2014-15 season availability was brought into question, Pitt fans can breathe a little bit easier as Johnson is expected to be ready to start the season.
Johnson has not been cleared to practice as of yet, but is expected to be cleared to resume full practice by the end of August. He traveled with the panthers on their recent trip to the Bahamas but didn’t play in any of Pitt’s four games.
The news that Johnson could be ready for when Pitt tips off the season against Niagara on November 14 is big as the Baltimore native was starting to become a major weapon off the bench for Jamie Dixon’s team.
He did apply for a medical hardship, but that was rejected by the NCAA as he played in more than 33 percent of Pitt’s games.
Johnson was averaging 19.8 minutes and 8.8 points per game for the 15-1 Panthers before the injury.
But one game after scoring a career-high 17 points in a 20-point win over Maryland, Johnson went down late in a win against Wake Forest and Pitt’s season wasn’t the same from that point on.
If healthy Johnson could start at small forward for Pitt and if he does could easily be the Panthers leading scorer.
However it could also make sense for Dixon to leave Johnson coming off the bench as it will help ease him back into game action, but also will supply the Panthers with instant offense off the bench, something they were missing down the stretch last season.
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire | USA TODAY Sports Images
