It seems that nothing can go absolutely right for the 2013-2014 Brooklyn Nets.
In the midst of their most impressive win of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers last night (that also featured a resurgence from point guard Deron Williams), Nets center Brook Lopez suffered a visible ankle injury. Now, it appears that Lopez may be unavailable for Brooklyn on the second night of a back-to-back against Detroit, as he is officially listed as questionable.
Injury report for tonight's game vs. #Pistons : Terry (knee) and Kirilenko (back) are OUT... Lopez (sprained left ankle) is Questionable.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 13, 2013
Any absence from Lopez would be crushing for Brooklyn, as he has been far and away their best player this season. The 7-footer from Stanford currently sits in 3rd place in the entire league in PER (27.85) this season, and his “traditional” numbers (20.5 points per game, 56.8% FG) are equally impressive. With that said, Lopez has already missed 7 games with trouble in the same ankle, and that can’t be good for his future prospects.
Many were burying the Nets after a dismal 5-14 start, but with 3 straight wins, there are real signs of life in Brooklyn. However, they unquestionably need Brook Lopez to be healthy and productive in order to win, and this is a situation that is worth monitoring.