JackJumpers provide Deng update

Majok Deng is a chance to play in one of the Tasmania JackJumpers’ Round 19 games, as the defending champions look to fight back into the top six. 

Deng hasn’t played since the January 12 defeat to Perth, but assistant coach Mark Radford has revealed the 31-year-old is ahead of his initial return timeline from an ankle injury. 

“I think he’s a chance, but I think it will be more how he pulls up (today) after shootaround,” Radford said via Newscorp. 

“He’s had two days in a row (training) but with back-to-back games, it’s still going to be which one do we play him in, and how does that play out. I think it will be a game-time decision.

“He hasn’t had a lot of training under his belt, so we have to be mindful of that as well. We don’t want to put him in a position where he’s not ready to play two really big games for our club.”  

The JackJumpers host the Illawarra Hawks on Thursday night, before facing Melbourne United on Saturday night.  

Deng’s potential return would be huge for a JackJumpers outfit who are without Will Magnay and Sean Macdonald to end the regular season.

Tasmania has dropped to seventh with a 12-14 record after suffering four straight defeats, all of which have been by double-digit margins. 

Click here to read the full story via Newscorp