'We're missing a lot': Michigan's Austin Davis out indefinitely with right foot injury

The Wolverines will head into Big Ten play without their most experienced big man.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard announced on Friday that fifth-year senior center Austin Davis will be out indefinitely with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot.

“I know right now he's going to be out for extended weeks,” Howard said. “I'm not quite sure as far as how long, but I know it's not day-to-day.”

According to WebMD, plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the thick band of tissue, which is also called a fascia, at the bottom of your foot that runs from your heel to your toes.

The program announced Davis will begin rehabbing the non-contact injury immediately and there is the potential for a return later this season.

He suffered the injury while going to set a screen early in the second half of Wednesday’s win against Toledo. On the play, Davis planted his right foot, took one stride and came up lame. He was whistled for his fourth foul as he hobbled off the court and struggled to put any weight on his right leg.

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It was an abrupt end to a strong outing for Davis, who set a career high with 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting and scored Michigan’s first 10 points of the game.

“When I first saw him start limping, I didn't know what was wrong. My reaction was, ‘What's wrong?’” Howard recalled. “I'm not a doctor nor a trainer so I couldn't diagnose exactly if it was his knee, foot, ankle. I didn't know. There was a primary ball-handler near me and I was trying to get our guys organized to run a play set.”

Davis moved into the starting lineup this season for the first time in his career. He’s averaging six points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes while shooting 75% from the floor (12-for-16) — all career-best marks.

With Davis out, freshman Hunter Dickinson figures to take over his spot in the lineup on Sunday against Penn State and take on an increased role, something he seems equipped to handle.

Dickinson has consistently delivered off the bench and impressed during Michigan’s 5-0 start. He’s averaging 14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22.4 minutes and is the only Wolverine to score in double figures every game.

"Hunter can handle anything that's thrown at him,” Howard said. “He's proven that. He welcomes any challenge because he's a very competitive guy. He's prepared all summer leading up to this point like his teammates have when it comes to his conditioning. He understands he's going to be playing more minutes and I'm sure he's excited about it as well.”

Dickinson said he’s pleased with where his stamina is at and is “ready for whatever the team needs, however many minutes they need from me.”

Senior forward Isaiah Livers added Dickinson has played with the starters before in practice, which should help in his adjustment.

“He just needs to keep the same mindset he has coming off the bench because it's really the same thing,” Livers said. “I don't want him to overthink anything. I want him to keep playing that big 7-foot basketball he keeps playing because now that he starts the game, he's going to set the tone. Austin was setting the tone and he'd come in and carry the tone. Now it's him setting the tone.”

In addition to Dickinson, junior forward Brandon Johns Jr. could see more minutes at the center position. The Wolverines have deployed Johns, who is averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes, at the five in small-ball lineups this season.

Livers mentioned freshman forward Terrance Williams II and senior walk-on forward Jaron Faulds as other candidates who could receive playing time at center, while Howard said multiple times he’ll be taking an “all hands on deck” approach to overcome the loss of Davis.

"They don't have ‘leadership’ in a box score,” Howard said. “They don't have ‘all in’ in the box score. They list four coaches, but Austin is also like a coach out there on the floor. …He's the type of guy that feeds positive energy to the team. Now you don't have him on the floor, it's like we’re missing a lot.

“His brothers got his back. They're going to step up and do whatever they can. You can't replace him, but they're going to be there to step in and do whatever they can to help compete and give us some good, quality minutes."

Penn State at Michigan

Tip-off: 2 p.m. Sunday, Crisler Center, Ann Arbor

TV/radio: BTN/950

Records: Penn State 3-1, Michigan 5-0

Outlook: The Nittany Lions rank last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (71.8 points) and field-goal percentage defense (44.6%)…Sophomore forward Seth Lundy (16.8 points) leads four double-digit scorers for Penn State, which has won the past two meetings between the teams…Michigan has won eight of its last 10 Big Ten openers, including five in a row at home.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins