NEW YORK — The injury bug is unavoidable in Brooklyn.
This time, it’s the Nets’ ironman, Spencer Dinwiddie, who will be out extended time after injuring his knee in Sunday night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Dinwiddie had an MRI on Monday, which confirmed the worst: a partially torn ACL in his right knee with no other structural damage, according to The Athletic.
Dinwiddie left the floor in the second quarter after driving and making knee-to-knee contact with Charlotte’s big man Bismack Biyombo. He immediately hit the ground and grabbed his knee before getting up, limping to the sidelines to be evaluated, then limping to the locker room.
There was no timetable set just yet for Dinwiddie’s return, but The Athletic reported he’s expected to make a full recovery before next season.
Dinwiddie dodged a bullet. The injury could have been several notches worse, as he’s experienced in the past.
Dinwiddie tore his ACL in his left knee as the star point guard of the Denver Nuggets back in 2014 and spent two seasons with the Detroit Pistons working his way back. He recovered and became a star for the Nets, averaging a career-best 21 points and seven assists per game last season. Nets head coach Steve Nash named Dinwiddie the starter in preseason and opening night this season, and he averaged about seven points, four rebounds and three assists playing a good portion of his minutes alongside both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
In Dinwiddie, the Nets lose their best athlete and possibly their best rotational perimeter defender outside of Bruce Brown, who has been outside the 10-man unit. Brown could likely see an uptick in minutes with the unfortunate news of Dinwiddie’s injury, as could Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who impressed in the Nets’ loss, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for 11 points on a night where both Taurean Prince and Landry Shamet combined to shoot 0-of-13 from downtown.
Dinwiddie is in the final guaranteed year of his deal and holds a player option worth $12.3 million next season. He was expected to decline that option and hit unrestricted free agency in the upcoming offseason, but it’s unclear what impact his injury will play in his decision-making process.
