After N’Faly Dante was injured in the Oregon Ducks’ first men’s basketball game of the season, it looked like Nate Bittle’s role with the Ducks would grow. But two games later, Bittle suffered a wrist injury and required surgery, leaving Oregon without a scholarship center for almost two months.
In Oregon’s last game against Cal, Dante made his return, although it was in a limited capacity. And now, it seems Bittle’s return may not be far off.
“He’s worked in practice the last couple of days. Not everything, but you know, he’s getting closer,” Ducks’ head coach Dana Altman said on Wednesday. “I know he’s meeting with some trainers today to see exactly what they think he can do moving forward. I wouldn’t anticipate him playing this weekend. He might play a little bit, depending on what they say today.”
Without Bittle and Dante, the Ducks have done well, going 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the Pac-12 in games without either player. But, Oregon is usually a team that dominates the glass and wins the rebound battle, something they haven’t been doing without their two best big men.
Like Dante, it seems Bittle will need a bit of an adjustment period on the court before he’s back to full form since he hasn’t been able to fully participate in practice for two months.
“He’s been out eight weeks, he and Dante both had their surgeries eight weeks ago, yesterday,” Altman said. “Nate’s a little bit different because he was able to run and do some things because it was a wrist injury rather than a knee, but you know, even with that, you’re out eight weeks and it’s pretty tough to bounce back right away.”
It will be interesting to see where Bittle fits into the lineup once he returns. He could serve as a backup center to Dante, or he could play alongside Dante as the Ducks power forward. True freshman Kwame Evans has already excelled at the power forward spot, so I find it unlikely that Altman would significantly cut back his minutes. For that reason, I think the backup center is the more likely role for Bittle, especially as he and Dante are still recovering and getting their bodies up to speed.
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