By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After fracturing the fourth metacarpal of his right hand on Friday, Derek Willis underwent surgery on Saturday.
Willis, 28, has been officially ruled out for six to eight weeks by Anadolu Efes.
The injury occurred in the third quarter of the game against Partizan Mozzart Bet in Sinan Erdem Dome. He chipped in ten points, two steals, and one assist over 17 minutes before the early exit. The Istanbul outfit went on to rally past Partizan, jumping to 5-5 in Europe’s premier club continental competition.
Earlier European spells went from Germany to Italy and Spain, including experience in the Basketball Champions League and 7DAYS EuroCup. Moving up to the EuroLeague, the Kentucky product tallied 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per contest across ten appearances. At the domestic level in the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi, averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game paints the picture of his first experience in Turkiye.
A series of key contributions was cut by the injury blow and joining Dogus Ozdemiroglu (knee) on the sidelines. Tibor Pleiss and Elijah Bryant are also dealing with injuries, forcing them to sit out recent club showings.
The team guided by Erdem Can will stay home, heading to Round 9 of the domestic league’s Regular Season. Monday’s game versus Manisa sets up the opportunity to improve to 8-1 in the BSL. Traveling to Serbia leads to a EuroLeague meeting with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet on Friday.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net