Brooklyn Nets confirm torn thumb ligaments for Spencer Dinwiddie

The Brooklyn Nets confirmed point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has torn ligaments in his right thumb. He will not play Friday night against the New York Knicks.

The Brooklyn Nets announced Friday that point guard Spencer Dinwiddie will not play Friday when the Nets host the New York Knicks at Barclays Center as he is being evaluated to determine his treatment options.

Dinwiddie has torn ligaments in his right thumb and the team is consulting with doctors to determine whether or not the fifth-year guard will need surgery to repair the damage.

Dinwiddie apparently aggravated the injury in Wednesday night’s win over the Orlando Magic when he landed on his right hand after absorbing a foul from Orlando defender Jonathon Simmons.

UPDATE: Spencer Dinwiddie will miss tonight’s game due to torn ligaments in his right thumb. The team is consulting with doctors to determine the best course of action going forward. Further updates will be provided as available.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 25, 2019

Earlier Friday, Newsday’s Greg Logan cited a “well-placed NBA source” in reporting that Dinwiddie’s diagnosis may take some time.

News broke Thursday, first reported via social media by Dinwiddie’s former teammate with the Detroit Pistons, Caron Butler, that Dinwiddie had torn ligaments in his hand and could be out four to six weeks due to surgery.

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However, that determination has yet to be made, per the Nets’ announcement on Friday.

To address their depth issues, Brooklyn signed forward Mitch Creek to a 10-day contract. He had spent this season with the Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, after being waived by the Nets after the preseason.

Dinwiddie becomes the fifth Net who will be out Friday because of injuries, joining forward Jared Dudley, rookie guard Dzanan Musa, wing Allen Crabbe and wing Caris LeVert.

Dudley has been out since Jan. 9 with a hamstring injury, Musa injured his left shoulder on Dec. 16 during a G League game, Crabbe injured his right knee on Dec. 12 and LeVert has not played since dislocating his foot on Nov. 12.

The Nets did get some good news Friday afternoon when they announced forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is available to play against the Knicks. Hollis-Jefferson left Wednesday’s game with a strained left shoulder.

Dinwiddie was the last remaining Net that had played in every game this season and has emerged this year as one of the NBA’s top sixth men, averaging 17.2 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game on a slash line of 46.1/36.6/79.5.

His scoring average is up 4.6 points per game from last season’s 12.6 mark, which had been a career-high for the former second-round draft pick of the Pistons.

The injury is apparently a lingering one, as coach Kenny Atkinson told the media Friday evening that Dinwiddie first hurt the thumb a couple of months ago.

Kenny Atkinson said Dinwiddie first hurt the thumb two months ago, and it’s just progressively become more of a nagging issue. #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) January 25, 2019

Dinwiddie was taken 38th overall by Detroit from the University of Colorado, after missing much of his junior season with a torn ACL. He played in only 34 games with the Pistons as a rookie in 2014-15 and made just 12 appearances in 2015-16 before he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in June 2016.

The Bulls released Dinwiddie, brought him back for training camp and released him again at the end of the preseason.

He signed with Brooklyn in December 2016 after opening the season with the NBA G League’s Windy City Bulls.

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Dinwiddie was a finalist for Most Improved Player honors last season and signed a three-year, $34.3 million extension last month to remain with the Nets. The new contract kicks in next season and includes a player option for 2021-22.