During the past few weeks, the narrative for Ryan Kelly's return has become more of a question of "when" and and less of an "if."
But the senior forward was made available to the media for the first time in a long time after this afternoon's 89-68 victory against Boston College and said he is targeting a return the end of the regular season. He said Duke's senior night game against Virginia Tech is a possibility for his return, as is Duke's regular season finale on the road against North Carolina.
Kelly injured his foot during Duke's Jan. 8 win against Clemson and has not played since then.
He is no longer on crutches but still sports a walking boot on his injured foot. He said he has been doing cardiovascular work in the pool as he rehabs the foot and looks to get back into playing shape.
Prior to the injury, Kelly was averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Notably, the 6-foot-11 forward was Duke's most efficient 3-point shooter, knocking down 52.1% from deep.
Here are the quotes from Kelly:
On whether he might play next week against Virginia or Miami:
“I haven’t practiced at all, so some amazing things would have to happen for that to happen. But every day, I’m getting better. Obviously I want to be on the court, and I want to get there as soon as possible, so nothing is obviously out of the realm of thought, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
On whether his injury felt like his last one, especially in terms of severity:
“It was similar. I knew it was going to take some time. I was in a position—I can’t come back and not play at a high level. I felt like at this point we’re progressing to a point where I believe that I’m going to be back on the court and playing at a high level.”
On what it’s like watching:
“Not fun and fun at the same time. It’s been really fun to see different guys step up. It’s been really fun to see our team change and the identity change in a good way, but obviously not being out there—it’s not fun at all. I try and be nice on the bench and cheer my teammates on and be there for them, but it certainly aches at the heart.”
On integrating back into the team:
“I think I’m a player that—my game is pretty easy to play with. I think if you asked any of the guys, they’d say that. I can do the things I do. When I say our identity changed, whenever you lose a starter, you lose a big part of the team and that forces other people to step up. And other guys have stepped up, and I believe when I come back, it can help us to another level. Those guys will continue to step up. We have a multitude of guys that have played in big games now that might not have, and that’s exciting.”
On his involvement in the development of Hairston and Jefferson:
“I’ve definitely tried to help them as best I can. I’m a guy that has been here and been through a lot, and I wanted to share my experiences with them and help them any way I could because I want them to do well too.”
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