The Brooklyn Nets announced Monday that rookie forward Joshua Jefferson was among three players assigned to their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.
Jefferson was limited by lower back stiffness throughout training camp and missed all four of the Nets' preseason games. He was eventually cleared from the injury last week and has made one appearance with the team, logging four minutes on Sunday in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Along with Jefferson, the team also assigned Drake Powell and Ben Saraf to Long Island. With each player out of the rotation, the move was likely made to get them practice time with Brooklyn off and Long Island beginning training camp this week.
Jefferson was a consensus second-team All-American last season at Iowa State,
averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 34.5% from 3-point range. He ranked sixth in the country in box plus-minus (plus-13.0) and 19th in win shares (6.1).
The 28th overall pick logged three summer league appearances with the Nets, averaging 7.3 points, two steals, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 33.3% from the field. He debuted on July 11, recording nine points and two steals.
Jefferson was highly touted out of college because of his scoring, rebounding and overall versatility. He'll likely keep practicing with Long Island as opportunities arise until he's fully up to speed after missing part of training camp with his injury.
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Nets make G League roster move involving rookie Joshua Jefferson
