Brooklyn Nets Roster, Injury News 2017: Guard D'Angelo Russell to Miss Multiple Games With Left Knee Contusion
The Brooklyn Nets will have a very thin backcourt in the next few games because guard D'Angelo Russell is currently sidelined by a knee injury.
Russell hurt his left knee when he tried to stop on a dime to shake off guard Donovan Mitchell in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 114–106 loss to the Utah Jazz. The injury didn't look bad, but the Nets must have thought it was serious because he was evaluated by Utah's team doctor right after the game.
"I didn't really see it. I didn't see the play. I think when he landed on a jump, I believe that's when it happened. ... We're evaluating him now. I guess we'll do more tests [Sunday]," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said, via the New York Post.
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"I talked to him. I don't know what's hurt particular, but they're just trying to gather information and check him out, see what's the next step. But hopefully he's OK. He's a big part of our team," veteran forward DeMarre Carroll stated after the game.
Russell underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on Sunday and he was diagnosed with a left knee contusion, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He will undergo further evaluation in the coming days, and he's expected to miss several games while he recovers.
The former Ohio State University standout has been the Nets' best player thus far this season, and they will surely feel his absence in the next few games. Russell is averaging 20.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and a steal in just under 28 minutes a game this season. He's also shooting a career-high 46.3 percent from the field, but he's only knocking down 30 percent of his three-point shots.
The Nets have already lost guard Jeremy Lin for the season after he suffered a patellar tendon rupture last month, but they got lucky this time because Russell's injury isn't that serious.
