Brooklyn Nets rumors: Treveon Graham to miss 2 months

According to a report, Brooklyn Nets swingman Treveon Graham tore his left hamstring Friday night and will miss at least 2 months.

Brooklyn Nets swingman Treveon Graham was helped off the floor Friday night after injuring his left hamstring midway through the second quarter of the Nets’ win over the Knicks.

According to a report Tuesday by Shams Charania of The Athletic, Graham has torn the hamstring and will miss at least two months of action.

Graham was signed as an unrestricted free agent in July after spending the last two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He had impressed coach Kenny Atkinson with his defense, particularly in his ability to guard multiple positions.

Atkinson told Brian Lewis of the New York Post before Brooklyn’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday:

"“If we did defensive ratings, I’d give him a 99 out of 100 for the two games. No mistakes, he’s physical. he defends four positions. I think he can defend five positions in this league, that’s how strong he is.“We’re going to miss him. So hoping he;ll be back ASAP, because without (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson), he’s our best, most versatile defender. He’s all over the court. He can defend a point guard, 3, 4, even Blake Griffin. I thought he did a good job on him the other night.“Our defense has been pretty good these first two games, and he’s a part of it, a big part of it.”"

Graham had played 27 minutes in Brooklyn’s first two games, going scoreless with four rebounds on 0-for-3 shooting (0-for-2 from 3-point range).

Last season in 63 games with Charlotte, Graham started twice and averaged 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game on .434/.412/.695 shooting.

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Graham fits the profile of the classic modern 3-and-D wing, but with the ability to move down to guard bigs and also cover point guards.

He played four years at VCU before going undrafted in 2015. He signed a multiyear deal with the Utah Jazz in August 2015 after playing with the San Antonio Spurs in the Summer League, but was waived during the preseason.

Graham wound up playing the 2015-16 season with the Idaho Stampede in what was then called the D-League. He averaged 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game, starting 20 of the 46 games he played and shooting .460/.330/.622.

After Summer League stints with the Orlando Magic and the Jazz in 2016, Graham signed with the Hornets and made the club, appearing in 27 games as a rookie in 2016-17.

Graham will turn 25 on Oct. 29. His two-year veteran’s minimum contract is non-guaranteed for next season.

When he went down on a drive against the Knicks, Graham’s reaction was indicative of a serious injury. Players tweak their hamstrings and walk off, but Graham couldn’t put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped by teammates Kenneth Faried and Dzanan Musa to the locker room.

If there is any silver lining in this for the Nets, it’s that Hollis-Jefferson will be back for Wednesday night’s game on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it’s uncertain how much of a minutes load he can take on after recovering from a strained left adductor sustained in early August.

But while Graham had not found his touch at the offensive end since coming to Brooklyn, his defense and his versatility were paying big dividends.

Now the Nets will be without a key defender until at least Christmas.