As informal workouts continued at the Clippers’ practice facility last month, one standout was a rookie point guard whose mop of reddish hair bounced as he played.
Jason Preston, the 33rd pick in July’s draft out of Ohio, had “made terrific progress,” said Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, last month. “Just his playmaking and pick-and-roll ability.”
That progress has hit a setback. After hurting his right foot during a workout last month, days before training camp opened, Preston underwent surgery Thursday to repair ligaments and is “expected to miss an extended period of time and there is no timetable for his return,” the team said.
The 6-foot-4 guard, who turned 22 in August, went from zero scholarship offers during high school in Orlando, Fla., to a two-time all-conference player during three seasons at Ohio after taking a winding road that saw Preston nearly give up on basketball.
After suffering the injury, Preston watched training camp with his right foot propped on a scooter. He transitioned to watching the Clippers’ two preseason games in a walking boot.
It marks the second consecutive year that a foot injury will have sidelined a Clippers rookie for a significant chunk of the season. Last season, foot surgery sidelined second-round pick Jay Scrubb for five months.
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