Will Wade provides latest injury update on LSU point guard Xavier Pinson

Will Wade and the LSU Tigers have hit quite a rough patch after a hot start to the season and to SEC play.

After starting the year 15-1, the Tigers are now 16-6 and trending in the wrong direction. A big part of that is the health of point guard Xavier Pinson, who has tried to return in recent games.

However, on Thursday, Wade said the Tigers will likely shut Pinson down on Saturday at Vanderbilt:

Will Wade: Xavier Pinson likely won’t play Saturday at Vanderbilt. “If it costs us a game, it costs us a game. We’ve got to get him right.”

Wade said Pinson (knee) is operating about 70%, but needs to be closer to 85% to be effective.

— Sheldon Mickles (@MicklesAdvocate) February 3, 2022

Wade and the Tigers are playing the long game with this decision, looking ahead to March and the stretch run to get Pinson healthy.

Will it cost them on Saturday against Vanderbilt? We’ll find out when the game tips off at 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.