J.J. Hickson has been suspended five games without pay for violating terms of NBA/NBPA's Anti-Drug Program, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports.
Hickson’s suspension will be begin the first day of the regular season, which starts on October 29 for the Denver Nuggets as they face off against the Detroit Pistons.
After JaVale McGee’s injury last season, J.J. Hickson came on strong for Denver. He averaged 11.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on 50.8 percent shooting from the field. Hopefully for the Nuggets, this does not become a continuous problem for Hickson, and he could come back and focus on basketball again.
NBA players have been getting themselves in trouble a lot this off-season. It started with the DUI’s, as four players have already been charged with a DUI, which includes P.J. Tucker, Vitor Faverani, Greg Monroe, and Marreese Speights. It is an embarrassment for the NBA to continuously have its players get into legal trouble.
At any rate, J.J. Hickson’s return to the court will be on Sunday, November 9 on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.