Hackett expects to be masked man

USC sophomore guard Daniel Hackett said he would need a couple of weeks of practice to get into game shape after having the wire removed from his broken jaw early next month, meaning he might not play until the Trojans’ fifth or sixth game at the earliest.

“I’m going to need some good old Coach [Tim] Floyd practices to get ready,” said Hackett, whose jaw was broken Sept. 27 by teammate O.J. Mayo’s elbow during a pickup game.

When he does return sometime in late November wearing a protective mask, Hackett said he doesn’t expect to immediately garner heavy minutes.

“I don’t expect to get in right away and play 20, 30 minutes,” Hackett said. “I expect to come in two minutes, three minutes and slowly get that game rhythm back.”

Floyd said he doesn’t know what to expect from Hackett, who averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists as a freshman, initially upon his return.

“Let’s face it, he’s going to be away from it for six to eight weeks, so who knows who he’s going to be when he comes back,” Floyd said of Hackett, who has lost 15 pounds. “Strength’s going to be a factor because he’s going to lose so much weight.”

Hackett said he would get an X-ray Friday to gauge the healing in his jaw and expected to have the wire removed Nov. 9 or the next day. USC opens its season Nov. 10 against Mercer at the Galen Center and travels to South Carolina for two games the next week before playing three games in the Anaheim Classic on Nov. 22-25.

Hackett said he would wear the mask for his first 10 games or so.

“As soon as [the doctors] start getting comfortable that the fracture has healed, then I can probably take off the mask,” he said.

Floyd said the spate of injuries that has sidelined four potential starters has restricted him to teaching fundamentals in practice this week.

“The bottom line is, whenever we move forward, we’re going back and re-teaching that same amount of work over and over again,” Floyd said. “So we’re going to stay put with some basics and try to get that stuff a little better.”

The most recent injury reports are not encouraging. Sophomore guard Dwight Lewis, initially expected to miss only a few days because of a bruised right quadriceps, still has “a big-time wobble to him,” according to Floyd.

Freshman forward Davon Jefferson probably won’t return from a sprained left knee until next week at the earliest, and freshman guard Marcus Simmons could be out another 1 1/2 weeks with a sprained left ankle.

“It’s going to limit us in terms of where we’re going to be early, I’m afraid,” Floyd said, “because . . . these guys are missing significant time as freshmen, and they need to be learning.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com