Professors, classmates, even food truck drivers — the senior guard can’t go anywhere without getting asked about his injury.
“If it was up to me and I didn’t have any pain, I would try to just wrap it up and play or something,” Paige said. “But it’s not that simple.”
On Nov. 3, Paige fractured a bone in his non-shooting hand when it caught the jersey of first-year Luke Maye during practice — sidelining the senior for the first two to three weeks of the season.
“I felt a lot of pain, and I kind of knew right away that it wasn’t just a jammed finger,” he said.
Paige said the pain has subsided since the day of the injury, but his hand’s function is still limited. The guard admitted it hurts to catch a basketball but added his conditioning won’t be a concern upon his return.
“You don’t need your hand to run sprints,” he said.
Without Paige — the ACC Preseason Co-Player of the Year — Coach Roy Williams said he has rotated junior Nate Britt, sophomores Joel Berry and Theo Pinson and first-year Kenny Williams at the two guard spots in practice.
But while Paige is confident in his teammates’ ability to lead the backcourt, Williams is concerned about the effect of Paige’s absence on the rest of the team.
