Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will likely miss the remainder of the 2020 season after suffering a partially torn ACL during Sunday night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets, as first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
He was forced from the game with 10:12 left in the third quarter after he awkwardly planted his foot. He walked off the floor but was clearly favoring the injured knee.
Nets head coach Steve Nash disclosed that Dinwiddie would be fully evaluated on Monday morning following Brooklyn’s 106-104 loss, their first of the season.
He started each of the Nets’ first three games this season, though his role is far more reserved now that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are fully healthy and on the floor together for the first time since signing in July of 2019.
After a 2019-20 season in which Dinwiddie averaged career-highs with 31.2 minutes, 20.6 points, and 6.8 assists per game, he was averaging just 6.7 points per outing this season.
The 27-year-old still entered the season with expectations of being Brooklyn’s No. 3 man behind Durant and Irving after leading the Nets for much of the last two seasons.
“He means a lot,” Nets center Jarrett Allen said. “When Spencer is going, he can’t be stopped. His offensive game, when he’s going downhill creating shots for others. And even off the court everyone loves having Spencer around. His energy, just his personality is great for the locker room.
“I don’t know what’s happening with him so whenever he’s back, whenever he’s a strong dude, he’ll try and come back as soon as possible.”
With Dinwiddie down, offensive support behind the Nets’ dynamic duo will fall more on the shoulders of Caris LeVert and Joe Harris.
While Harris is one of the better three-point shooters in the game, LeVert has shown flashes of being a dynamic talent despite shooting struggles from the field. He dropped 20 points in the season opener against the Golden State Warriors despite shooting just 6-of-17 from the field. Three of those makes came from beyond the arc on five three-point attempts.
