Brook Lopez Injury: Nets Center Has Broken Foot
Brook Lopez is likely done for the season with a broken foot.
The Brooklyn Nets All-Star seven-foot center fractured the fifth metarsal of his right foot Friday night sometime in the second half of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which the Nets lost by one point in overtime. Although there has yet been no official confirmation, some NBA observers believe that the injury occurred late in the fourth quarter after falling following a collision with Thaddeus Young of the 76ers under the basket.
Lopez had surgery on that foot in 2011 after breaking it twice. Lopez stayed in last night’s game until the final buzzer, however, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The team’s leading scorer, Lopez was averaging 20.7 points, six rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks per game for the struggling Nets, who are 9-17 under first-year coach Jason Kidd.
NBC Sports suggests this latest injury also effectively ends the season for the Nets. “This is obviously a devastating blow to the Nets season, which began with championship aspirations. The Nets had some stretches of good play lately and they were the team a lot of people thought would get it together and find a way to win a weak Atlantic division. Now… no chance.”
Former Celtics Kevin Garnett is expected to move from power forward to center in the absence of Lopez, who signed a four-year, $61 million max contract with Brooklyn last summer. The latest Brook Lopez setback doesn’t augur well for the rest of his career, according to SB Nation: “Big men who suffer through foot and ankle problems early in their careers don’t often have long careers. Yao Ming had to retire before he turned 30 with similar issues, although Lopez isn’t well over 300 pounds like Ming.” Lopez also had ankle issues this season.
The now-injured Brook Lopez was a two-year player at Stanford University before he was drafted 10th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the-then New Jersey Nets. His twin brother Robin plays for the Portland Trailblazers.
[top image credit: Keith Allison]
