When Caris LeVert went down in Minnesota on Monday night everyone watching feared for the worst. LeVert appeared to suffer a gruesome right lower leg injury on a chasedown block attempt and had to be stretchered off the court and taken to a local hospital in an ambulance.
The NBA world rallied around LeVert and offered him thoughts and prayers as he awaited a diagnosis, but on Tuesday morning he and the Nets received good news. LeVert suffered a dislocated right foot, but avoided any breaks or severe ligament damage, meaning he will somehow avoid having to have surgery after such a scary looking injury.
UPDATE: Caris LeVert was diagnosed with a subtalar dislocation of the right foot. Surgery will not be required and he will begin rehabilitation with the Nets performance staff.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 13, 2018
Not only will he not require surgery, but the Nets expect him to make a return to the court this season with no limitations on his game.
Team orthopedist Dr. Martin O'Malley: “Fortunately, tests performed this morning revealed that there are no fractures and only moderate ligament damage. While the optics of this injury may have appeared to be more severe, surgery will not be required."
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 13, 2018
O'Malley: "Caris will begin a period of rehabilitation with the Nets’ performance staff, following which he is expected to return to full strength and resume all basketball activities without any limitations this season.”
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 13, 2018
It’s great news for LeVert, who is having a career-year, leading the Nets in scoring at 19 points per game and breaking out as a rising star in his third season out of Michigan. Everyone watching the injury live or on replay feared it would be a Gordon Hayward-like injury — which, even that was lucky not to have worse ligament and nerve damage — and for it to be just a dislocation without needing surgery is fantastic to hear.
