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BUFFALO, NY − Nimari Burnett sat in front of his locker at KeyBank Center, looked down and shook his head.
Directly to his right on Wednesday, March 18, L.J. Cason's locker in the Buffalo Sabres' arena sat empty, without any basketball gear – no shoes, bands, jersey or shorts. Cason tore his ACL in late February, then – after consulting with doctors, coaches and his camp – opted to postpone his surgery so he could be a part of the Michigan basketball postseason run.
His surgery is set in Ann Arbor for April 9 − which, he pointed out, is "after the national championship game" − followed by a lengthy rehab process will begin.
BRACKET TIME: March Madness predictions for Final Four, Cinderella, MSU, Michigan
It's a process Burnett remembers all too well, when he tore his ACL in 2021 while playing for Alabama.
"I know that moment when you first hear those couple words, it just makes you want to cry immediately," Burnett said. "I'm sure he had his moment, but also just want to send him a [helping] hand, remind him to take this process really seriously and have the mindset that every little win he has along the way will lead him into where he wants to be.
"He'll be better because of it."
Burnett has been one of the people Cason has leaned on most, he said. This isn't just a physical injury – there's mental anguish that comes with it. Burnett hasn't sugarcoated things. He remembers the days he "hated the most" in the first two weeks – when he was beginning to try and get his range of motion back.
Riding a stationary bike − like the one in the middle of the locker room he pointed at − was excruciating. But the day he remembers it hurt less, he noted, was one of his first wins in rehab.
For his part, Cason has taken it in stride as he has "tried to keep in good spirits and keep faith in God," he said.
He was on the hottest run of his two-season college tenure just before the injury, coming off a career-high 18 points against Northwestern in early February, with 11.8 points per game that month while shooting 53.8% on 3-pointers.
BRACKET TIME, PART II: Beat our March Madness expert bracket: Picks for every NCAA game
Still, there hasn't been much sulking from Cason. He's one of the team's jokesters and was wearing a smile in the locker room Wednesday, and then again while courtside at the Wolverines' 45-minute practice as they got accustomed to the sight lines of an unfamiliar arena.
Coach Dusty May sat him down shortly after the injury was diagnosed and implored him to make use of his downtime. Point guards are naturally required to be the most cerebral player on the court – responsible for generating offense before it develops – and finding the proper perspective doesn't always happen during games.
But now, Cason has no choice but to sit back and watch. He's not doing so passively, either, but studying every ball-handler and breaking down what they do well and what he'd do differently, for when he's healthy down the line.
"I think a lot of people would be down on themselves and just sit on the bench and watch the game go by, however it goes," he said. "But I try to learn from each experience. This is time for me to grow more as a point guard. Something I had to grow at was talking more, and now that that's all I can do, I'm taking that role.
"Whatever I see on the court I'm telling them, I'm telling [Elliot Cadeau], I'm telling Yaxel [Lendeborg], I'm telling the coaches and just trying to help out the team as much as I can."
TAKE YOUR PICK: Michigan basketball to Final Four? 2 reasons to believe, 2 to fade
Cason knows he has a long road ahead. May announced earlier this month that Cason would redshirt the 2026-27 season as he rehabbed. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard said he's fully on board but still is wrapping his mind around it as his reality.
Cason doesn't know exactly when the injury occurred. He left U-M's Feb. 27 game against Illinois in the first half, came back in the second and then had to leave again.
"The pain, like me limping wasn't pain, I just thought I hyperextended my knee and I just wanted to get pressure off of it," he said. "Usually ACL tears, everyone's on the floor, crying. I didn't do none of that. So, I mean, I think my experience was just different.
"But when I got the news I tore my ACL, I was just in total shock."
And so, while he waits for his knee to heel, there's only one basketball muscle he can work – his mind. He has been watches film on so many guards – Cadeau, Purdue's Braden Smith and, of course, those in the NBA he wants to emulate, such as former Alabama and current Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton.
"I mean, there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "I keep faith in God. Just, like I said, learn from each experience."
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball guard L.J. Cason finding voice after ACL tear
Continue reading...
Directly to his right on Wednesday, March 18, L.J. Cason's locker in the Buffalo Sabres' arena sat empty, without any basketball gear – no shoes, bands, jersey or shorts. Cason tore his ACL in late February, then – after consulting with doctors, coaches and his camp – opted to postpone his surgery so he could be a part of the Michigan basketball postseason run.
His surgery is set in Ann Arbor for April 9 − which, he pointed out, is "after the national championship game" − followed by a lengthy rehab process will begin.
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BRACKET TIME: March Madness predictions for Final Four, Cinderella, MSU, Michigan
It's a process Burnett remembers all too well, when he tore his ACL in 2021 while playing for Alabama.
"I know that moment when you first hear those couple words, it just makes you want to cry immediately," Burnett said. "I'm sure he had his moment, but also just want to send him a [helping] hand, remind him to take this process really seriously and have the mindset that every little win he has along the way will lead him into where he wants to be.
"He'll be better because of it."
Burnett has been one of the people Cason has leaned on most, he said. This isn't just a physical injury – there's mental anguish that comes with it. Burnett hasn't sugarcoated things. He remembers the days he "hated the most" in the first two weeks – when he was beginning to try and get his range of motion back.
Riding a stationary bike − like the one in the middle of the locker room he pointed at − was excruciating. But the day he remembers it hurt less, he noted, was one of his first wins in rehab.
For his part, Cason has taken it in stride as he has "tried to keep in good spirits and keep faith in God," he said.
He was on the hottest run of his two-season college tenure just before the injury, coming off a career-high 18 points against Northwestern in early February, with 11.8 points per game that month while shooting 53.8% on 3-pointers.
You must be registered for see images
BRACKET TIME, PART II: Beat our March Madness expert bracket: Picks for every NCAA game
Still, there hasn't been much sulking from Cason. He's one of the team's jokesters and was wearing a smile in the locker room Wednesday, and then again while courtside at the Wolverines' 45-minute practice as they got accustomed to the sight lines of an unfamiliar arena.
Coach Dusty May sat him down shortly after the injury was diagnosed and implored him to make use of his downtime. Point guards are naturally required to be the most cerebral player on the court – responsible for generating offense before it develops – and finding the proper perspective doesn't always happen during games.
But now, Cason has no choice but to sit back and watch. He's not doing so passively, either, but studying every ball-handler and breaking down what they do well and what he'd do differently, for when he's healthy down the line.
"I think a lot of people would be down on themselves and just sit on the bench and watch the game go by, however it goes," he said. "But I try to learn from each experience. This is time for me to grow more as a point guard. Something I had to grow at was talking more, and now that that's all I can do, I'm taking that role.
"Whatever I see on the court I'm telling them, I'm telling [Elliot Cadeau], I'm telling Yaxel [Lendeborg], I'm telling the coaches and just trying to help out the team as much as I can."
TAKE YOUR PICK: Michigan basketball to Final Four? 2 reasons to believe, 2 to fade
You must be registered for see images attach
Cason knows he has a long road ahead. May announced earlier this month that Cason would redshirt the 2026-27 season as he rehabbed. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard said he's fully on board but still is wrapping his mind around it as his reality.
Cason doesn't know exactly when the injury occurred. He left U-M's Feb. 27 game against Illinois in the first half, came back in the second and then had to leave again.
"The pain, like me limping wasn't pain, I just thought I hyperextended my knee and I just wanted to get pressure off of it," he said. "Usually ACL tears, everyone's on the floor, crying. I didn't do none of that. So, I mean, I think my experience was just different.
"But when I got the news I tore my ACL, I was just in total shock."
And so, while he waits for his knee to heel, there's only one basketball muscle he can work – his mind. He has been watches film on so many guards – Cadeau, Purdue's Braden Smith and, of course, those in the NBA he wants to emulate, such as former Alabama and current Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton.
"I mean, there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "I keep faith in God. Just, like I said, learn from each experience."
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball guard L.J. Cason finding voice after ACL tear
Continue reading...
