After a strong start to their season, the Brooklyn Nets were dealt a tough blow as Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL in his right knee, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Dinwiddie suffered the injury during Brooklyn’s Sunday night game against the Charlotte Hornets when he landed awkwardly on his right leg in the third quarter after driving to the basket against Bismack Biyombo. He fell to the floor and began grabbing his right knee for a few seconds, but was able to limp to the bench under his own power shortly after. He didn’t return to the game, and the Nets ruled him out with a knee strain while they awaited further evaluation.
Dinwiddie had no other structural damage to the knee, per Charania, and is expected to make a full recovery before the start of next season. The seven-year guard had the best year of his career last season, where he averaged 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds as the starting point guard for a majority of games while Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert missed chunks of the season. Dinwiddie hadn’t played since March, as he didn’t travel with the team down to the Orlando bubble to play in the NBA restart.
The loss of Dinwiddie is a huge blow for a Nets team that has started the season incredibly strong now that Irving and Kevin Durant have made their long-awaited debut together. He was the perfect complement to play alongside Irving in the backcourt, as he can take on any identity you need him to. He was also capable of starting with Irving and playing off the ball, which has been his role thus far this season, or moving into the second unit and letting him run the show, which is what he’s typically known for.
Dinwiddie can get to the rim pretty much at will, can knock down mid-range shots and connect on the occasional 3-pointer, despite his mediocre shooting averages from beyond the arc. He was part of the tremendous depth Brooklyn possessed, which made it so dangerous for other teams.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
