Denzel Valentine will miss the next 2-3 weeks after suffering a knee injury in practice, the program announced on Monday morning.
Valentine injured himself taking a layup in practice, according to head coach Tom Izzo. He underwent a “minor arthroscopic procedure” on his left knee to clean up chip cartilage.
The 6-foot-6 senior has been the best player in college basketball this season, averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 boards and 7.1 assists for the 12-0 Spartans. He already has a pair of triple-doubles this year.
The Spartans play Oakland on Tuesday night before kicking off Big Ten play next Tuesday. If Valentine is only out two weeks, he should only miss two Big Ten games -- at Iowa and at Minnesota. If he doesn’t return for the full three week, he’ll also miss a visit from Illinois and a trip to Penn State.
Eron Harris will start in Valentine’s stead.
Denzel’s brother, Drew Valentine, is an assistant coach at Oakland.