Raptors two-way guard Chucky Hepburn undergoes knee surgery
The Raptors 905 will be without their lead guard for the foreseeable future.
Chucky Hepburn underwent successful surgery to repair a tear in the meniscus of his right knee, the Toronto Raptors announced on Thursday.
The two-way guard will be reevaluated in six weeks.
Although Hepburn has only appeared in two NBA games for the franchise, he’s been a mainstay for the 905 this season. In 18 games (all starts), he’s averaged 12.4 points, 8.6 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
His strong play on both ends of the floor — third in the G League for assists and steals per game — helped the Raptors 905 get off to a historic 19-0 start as part of earning the No. 1 seed in the Tip-off Tournament and a Showcase Final appearance.
The Raptors signed the undrafted guard out of Louisville to a two-way contract last off-season, and he’s more than lived up to his reputation as a dogged defender and go-to floor general with the 905.
And while the junior dinos have gone 2-1 in the three games he’s missed due to the knee injury, they’ve not looked like the same dominant squad from before.
In that span, the 905’s defensive rating has dropped from 101.5 (first in the G League through the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season) to 107.0 (sixth). Their assist percentage has seen a similar dip, dropping from ninth to 13th.
The Hepburn-less 905 have managed to eke out some wins by cobbling together offence in spurts, like in their win against the Noblesville Boom on Tuesday, but they’ve also suffered a loss to the San Diego Clippers when they gave up 31 points on 20 turnovers.
Not all of that can be accounted for by the absence of the 22-year-old, but it’s clear the 905 will have to go through a major adjustment without the sure-handed and defensively gifted guard.
“He’s the dawg, he’s the head of the snake on both ends,” Raptors 905 head coach Drew Jones said of Hepburn after beating Noblesville. “He’s our point-of-attack (defender) on the ball. Luckily, we’ve got a guy like Alijah (Martin) who’s following right in his footsteps. He’s got the same mentality defensively. He’s physical, he’s active, he’s alert. So we know what we’re missing, but we’ve got guys that can fill in.”
The Raptors 905 are 6-1 this season, currently sitting first in the East. They’ll now look to keep that standing while managing the absence of Hepburn for at least the next six weeks. They’ll start that effort in a rematch against the Boom on Thursday night in Mississauga, Ont.
As for the Raptors, they return to action on Friday when they visit the Boston Celtics.
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