At the beginning of the NBA Summer League, Mavericks first-round pick Shane Larkin had to be feeling optimistic about his playing time heading into his rookie season. But as of Friday, Larkin will have his work cut out for him if he wants to see significant minutes.
Larkin, who was selected 18th overall in last month’s NBA draft, broke his ankle during a summer league practice on Friday and is expected to miss two to three months.
After free-agent point guard Darren Collison left Dallas to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Mavericks had a vacancy at the point guard position, and Larkin was looking to fill the void.
But with the ankle injury and recent signings of point guards Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis, it seems that Larkin will have a short time to prove himself worthy of a spot in Rick Carlisle‘s rotation.
The 20-year-old rookie out of the University of Miami averaged 14.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while helping lead the Hurricanes to an ACC championship and a Sweet 16 berth.
The team hopes Larkin will be fully healthy by the beginning of training camp, but the timetable is not definite.
