During last Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards, Xavier Henry took a fall in the third quarter, and discovered later that he actually tore a ligament in his left wrist. On Monday, Henry learned that he will unfortunately need surgery for it during the upcoming off-season. Despite the injury, Henry was told that he would be able to play the remainder of the season as long as he could tolerate the pain.
With Henry not playing at 100 percent health, no one expected a big performance from Henry going into Tuesday night’s game. To everyone’s surprise, the injured player had a big night in the team’s explosive win against the Knicks. The Lakers even set a franchise record for most points in a quarter with 51 points in the third quarter, and Henry was a huge contributor with 22 points in 23 minutes played.
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After the win, Nick Young complimented Henry’s impressive game and his teammate’s motivated spirit and his intense perseverance via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Nick Young on Xavier Henry: "That's not going to stop him from shooting. That's what he does. If his hands were cut off he would find a way"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 26, 2014
Although he seemed to be making a slight joke about Henry’s intense work ethic, Young made a huge statement about his teammate’s passion for the game and ability to overcome adversity. If Young’s words weren’t convincing enough, Henry’s performance definitely was. With a team undergoing a season that’s been nothing less than difficult, Henry’s determined demeanor is just one of the things that can push teams to strive to be better regardless of the circumstances.
Despite his impressive play tonight, Lakers fans can’t lose sight of the fact that Henry still does have a torn ligament in his wrist. There is always the possibility that Henry’s performance tonight will be considered as bit of an anomaly for a seriously injured player, but Henry is unquestionably playing the rest of the season to prove all the doubters wrong.
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Xavier Henry Says He’s Not Ready To Quit, Will Fight Through The Pain