Oregon’s Dana Altman Updates Timeline for Jackson Shelstad’s Injury Return

Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad is recovering from his broken hand injury suffered in early October. With the regular season tipping off on Nov. 4th, the Ducks hope to get Shelstad back soon.

Oregon coach Dana Altman revealed an estimated return date for his star guard.

Jackson Shelstad’s Return to Action

Oregon Ducks Jackson Shelstad Coach Dana Altman College Basketball Players Era Festival Broken Hand Injury Update Nate Bittle — Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) shoots the ball over Liberty Flames guard Jayvon Maughmer (32)during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Dana Altman and the Ducks seem hopeful they will be getting Shelstad back by the time the Players Era Festival begins in late November. College basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported that Altman thinks there is a chance Shelstad could even be on the floor before then.

“We’d like to get him back for a game before Vegas if possible,” Altman said.

Oregon's Jackson Shelstad (hand) is expected to be available for the Ducks' Players Era Festival opener versus Auburn on 11/24 in Las Vegas, per Dana Altman.

Altman on Shelstad: "We'd like to get back for a game before Vegas if possible."

Shelstad averaged 13.7 PPG last season.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 28, 2025

When Shelstad broke his hand in early October, the estimated time out was 4-6 weeks. This put his availably for the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas in jeopardy. The Ducks will begin this tournament against the No. 20 Auburn Tigers on Nov. 24. They have four games before it gets underway.

Nov. 4 vs. Hawaii
Nov. 7 vs. Rice
Nov. 12 vs. South Dakota State
Nov. 17 vs Oregon State

It would be ideal if Shelstad would be able to get a tune up against Oregon State before the Players Era, which will be a handful of games that could go a long way to beefing up Oregon’s resume.

Last season, the Ducks went 3-0 in the Players Era with wins over three NCAA tournament teams in Texas A&M, San Diego State, and Alabama. This was a big reason why the Ducks had a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament last season.

Oregon finished the season with a 25-10 record and were eventually eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

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Top Scorers Returning for Ducks

Unlike the past few seasons, Oregon will enter the 2025-26 college basketball season with their two leading scorers from the year prior returning; Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad.

Bittle averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2024-25. He was named third-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defense.

Shelstad was right behind him in the stat sheet at 13.7 points and 2.7 assists per game. Shelstad was also named third-team All-Big Ten. Bittle is going into his fifth and final season in Eugene. Shelstad will be in year three. It will be a boost to have both of them on the team again.

Bittle is the Ducks' defensive anchor and Shelstad has become the big-time shot maker. When the games have gotten into crunch time, Shelstad has been the go-to player to take the shot. The most memorable shot from last season was his deep game-tying three on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Also as a freshman, Shelstad buried a game winning three against the Michigan Wolverines. He's the type of player that isn't phased when the game is on the line late.