Lee injury "more of a scare": Roth

Tasmania head coach Scott Roth is hopeful Marcus Lee’s shoulder injury is far better than initially feared.

Lee went to the locker room just 22 seconds into the game after a collision with Sam Froling, and emerged with his arm in a sling. He did not re-enter proceedings for the entire game.

The JackJumpers’ 16-point win over Illawarra means they have progressed straight into the Playoffs and will face the Perth Wildcats. The first game of that series won’t take place until March 8, and Roth hopes the extended break will give Lee sufficient time to recover.

“I think it’s more of a scare right now. We’re pretty optimistic in a few days he’ll be alright,” Roth said post-game of the center.

“It was more of a scare and a pinched nerve in the neck and the shoulder. The doctor seemed really optimistic, and the good news is we have five or six days before we have to travel again.

“He’ll have some down time and we’ll see how he goes over the next few days.”

Foot Locker Player of the Game Will Magnay added he hopes Lee will be fit to continue his role within Tasmania’s system.

“I really hope Marcus is alright. I think he’s been elite all year and he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Magnay said.

“He’s a monster and probably one of the best lob catchers I’ve ever seen. Hopefully we can get him back on track and go.”

Magnay has taken universal plaudits for his dominant performance against the Hawks. He stepped up in the absence of Lee to score a career-high 25 points. He also added 10 rebounds, four blocks and a pair of steals.

The center was quick to deflect praise onto teammate Milton Doyle, who experienced a quiet scoring night with just five points.

Doyle’s presence was felt across the floor though as he finished the game with eight rebounds and a team-high ten assists.

“My job’s pretty easy. I just roll hard and jump, and Milt puts it next to the hoop and I get to make it look cool. They make my life easy and Milt is one of the smartest players I’ve been around, he’s constantly talking to me and trying to get me open. He always sees me, he’s always communicating, he’s a silent leader and we look to him,” Magnay added. 

“In a game like tonight he was 2-11, but you wouldn’t have thought that with the way he carries himself and was playing defence, showing hard, he was willing to pass the ball and not get his own. We have a lot of faith in what Milt does and I’m very happy I get to be his teammate.”

Roth was also quick to praise the two-time All-NBL nominee.

“Milton was also fantastic defensively and setting the table across the board, and really good players impact games that way. They don’t tap out because they’re not scoring, and Milt set the table for these guys in a lot of different ways.”