Panathinaikos forward Nigel Hayes-Davis suffered a fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his left hand during practice Tuesday, creating another early-season injury concern for a team that will already begin the campaign without Kendrick Nunn.
Panathinaikos announced that Hayes-Davis was taken to HYGEIA Hospital immediately after the injury, where examinations confirmed the fracture. A special splint was applied, but the club did not announce a recovery timeline.
The injury comes just weeks before the start of the new season and adds uncertainty to Hayes-Davis’ availability after he became an important part of Panathinaikos’ rotation during the 2025-26 EuroLeague campaign. He averaged 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 16 EuroLeague appearances, shooting 42.7% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range.
Hayes-Davis was particularly valuable as a perimeter scoring option. He attempted 5.5 three-pointers per EuroLeague game while also shooting 86.4% from the free-throw line, giving Panathinaikos spacing alongside Nunn and its other primary creators.
The American forward also spent the previous two seasons with Fenerbahce, where his offensive production increased significantly. In 2024-25, he averaged 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 34 EuroLeague games while shooting 42.3% from three-point range and 89.2% at the free-throw line.
His 2023-24 season with Fenerbahce produced 14.5 points per game in 30 EuroLeague appearances, including 38.7% three-point shooting. Hayes-Davis had therefore established himself as a high-volume perimeter threat before joining Panathinaikos.
The timing of the fracture is especially significant because Panathinaikos is already dealing with Nunn’s knee injury. In August, Nunn suffered a medial meniscus tear in his right knee during individual workouts in the United States before undergoing a successful arthroscopic partial meniscectomy on August 19.
Nunn led Panathinaikos in EuroLeague scoring last season at 18.2 points per game across 37 appearances, while Hayes-Davis ranked second among the team’s regular scorers at 14.1 points. Losing both players, even temporarily, would remove 32.3 points per game from last season’s top two scorers.
Panathinaikos finished the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular season seventh at 22-16 before eliminating into the playoffs. Valencia defeated Panathinaikos 3-2 in the quarterfinal series.
The club has also undergone major changes during the offseason. Ergin Ataman departed as head coach, while Zeljko Obradovic was appointed through 2029. Panathinaikos added Moustapha Fall, Guerschon Yabusele, Brancou Badio, Isaac Bonga and Sylvain Francisco while losing players including Cedi Osman, TJ Shorts and Marius Grigonis.
The immediate question is now how quickly Hayes-Davis can return from the fourth metacarpal fracture. Panathinaikos has not provided a timetable, leaving his status for the opening games of the season unclear.
