The Brooklyn Nets are already having a rough season as they are 6-15 but the news somehow got worse earlier this week when it was announced that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson injured his ankle and would require surgery. At the time the Nets were unsure how much time he might have to miss after the surgery, and while it still isn't fully clear, the expectation is that he will be out about 10 weeks, according to Andy Vazquez of The Record.
Hollis-Jefferson had been one of the lone bright spots on the Nets roster before he suffered the ankle injury in practice this past weekend. The 20 year old rookie had forced his way into the starting lineup just six games into the season and although the Nets won on Tuesday night in their first game since the news was announced he will be certainly be missed as he already has become their best perimeter defender.
The official injury Hollis-Jefferson suffered was a non-displaced fracture to his posterior talus in his right ankle and he underwent surgery for the injury on Wednesday morning which he tweeted was successful. As of right now 10 weeks is the preliminary timeline but there should be more clarity on his recovery within the next few days.
Hollis-Jefferson had appeared in 19 games before the injury including 14 starts and is averaging 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while also bringing stellar defense. The Nets made a draft day deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to acquire his rights and it seems as though they may have found a foundational piece for their future in the 6 foot-7 small forward. The Nets don't control their draft pick for the next three years so the fact that it looks like they hit on Hollis-Jefferson is enormous for them although it is a bummer he will have to miss so much time with an injury this early in his career.
The Nets likely aren't going anywhere this year so Hollis-Jefferson could take his time in rehabbing but the initial timeline puts his return around the end of February which will still give him some regular season time to finish out his rookie season. In his place Bojan Bogdanovic started for the Nets on Tuesday and had one of his best games of the year so he should continue to be the starting shooting guard.
