By Louis Fernandez, WRAL Sports

3Duke Blue Devils
Illinois Fighting Illini
FOX | Saturday, February 22nd 8:00 PM EST

Duke forward Maliq Brown is expected to return to the court this season after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the third-ranked Blue Devils’ victory against Virginia on Monday night.

“Nothing abnormal that you aren’t ready to see with a dislocated shoulder, so I think we’re optimistic that we can get him back this season,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Thursday. “I think the hardest part is, a lot of it has to do with his stability, which, right now, it’s pretty sore still.”

Brown, a transfer from Syracuse, has proven to be a versatile defensive piece for the Blue Devils this season. He was a member of the All-ACC defensive team last season. The 6-foot-9 forward is third on the team in rebounds (4.1 per game), second on the team in steals (1.4) and third on the team in blocks per game (0.4).

Though Scheyer said the team received “positive news,” the timeline for Brown’s return is still up in the air. Brown will not play when Duke (23-3, 15-1 in the ACC) takes on Illinois in a non-conference game Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Blue Devils are projected to be a No. 1 seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament and seem likely to open the tournament in Raleigh.

“We have to see how much time that takes,” Scheyer said. “Is it a couple weeks? Is it more? But he’s going to be out. I mean, obviously, he’s not playing in the next week or so at minimum. I’d say it’s a few weeks, but Maliq will do whatever he can to get back out on the floor.”

Brown missed four games earlier this season after picking up a knee injury against Notre Dame on Jan. 11. The Blue Devils did not lose during that stretch, and Scheyer said he learned a lot about the rest of his team during that stretch.

“We have incredible confidence in Pat (Ngongba). We also know we have versatility with different lineups we can go to,” Scheyer said. “No matter what, Maliq’s a different player than anybody on our team, so what he brings to the table is different than anybody else.”

Look for the coaching staff to put more on the plate of a few players in particular.

“Pat (Ngongba), Khaman (Maluach), Cooper (Flagg), Mason (Gillis), like all those guys, pretty versatile with what they do, especially on the defensive end so we’re going to be us at the end of the day,” Scheyer said.

Scheyer said the team doesn’t want Brown to come back too early. Duke has five regular-season games left before the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, where the Blue Devils are all but assured of having a double-bye into the quarterfinals.

“You learn a lot about a guy when they go through an injury, when they go through adversity,” Scheyer said. “Maliq, he’s tough as can be man. He’s tough as nails and he’ll do whatever he can to get back on the court as soon as possible, so we need to protect him from himself. We need to attack the rehab with him.”

Source: wralsportsfan.com