Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has reportedly been diagnosed with a partially torn ACL in his right knee.
The Brooklyn Nets’ blistering start to the new campaign came to a screeching halt on Sunday evening when they were upset in stunning fashion by the Charlotte Hornets, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Outside of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who combined to score 54 points while shooting 19-of-32 (59.3%) from the floor, the rest of the team couldn’t get anything going on offense and their valiant comeback effort came up just short.
Unfortunately for the Nets, their first loss was compounded by guard Spencer Dinwiddie being forced to leave early with what was initially diagnosed as a right knee strain. It was reported after the game that he would undergo further testing on Monday to know the full severity of the injury.
Well, according to insider Shams Charania, the MRI revealed a partially torn ACL. While this news obviously isn’t ideal, fans in Brooklyn can take solace in the fact that the injury was suffered on contact and Dinwiddie avoided suffering any other structural damage in his knee.
Brooklyn Nets starter Spencer Dinwiddie has suffered a partially torn ACL in his right knee, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. It was suffered on contact, and there is no other structural damage in the knee.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 28, 2020
Had Dinwiddie suffered other ligament damage, his recovery timetable likely would have been pushed back another couple of months. With that being said, however, the report indicates that the former second-round pick is still expected to miss the remainder of the season.
If that ends up being the case, it will be a devastating blow for the Nets. After all, Dinwiddie surprisingly cracked the starting rotation out of preseason camp after he was largely expected to be the first or second man off the bench.
He was admittedly struggling to find a groove in Brooklyn’s rejuvenated rotation, averaging just 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 37.5% shooting, including 28.6% on threes, over the first three contests. Despite those struggles, fans were (given his track record) expecting him to emerge once he adjusted to his new limited role.
Dinwiddie is expected to make full recovery before next season. Tough loss for Nets; Dinwiddie emerged as a starter alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. With $12.3M player option in offseason, Dinwiddie has multiple choices being among the top free agents on the market. https://t.co/NDl7H6fP1J
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 28, 2020
It’s certainly not how we drew it up, but consider this news Steve Nash’s first real test as head coach of the Nets. Luckily for him, he’ll have an abundance of capable options to choose from to replace Dinwiddie in the starting five.
In the meantime, we wish the 27-year-old guard a speedy recovery.
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