Getty Spencer Dinwiddie guards Steph Curry in a December game.
Injuries have hobbled the Brooklyn Nets stars this season. The team’s fortunes changed in just the third game of the season when their young star Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL against the Charlotte Hornets on December 28.
Dinwiddie had originally been ruled out for the rest of the year by the Nets medical staff but after much training and rehab, it looks like the Nets’ star could be returning way ahead of schedule.
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Spencer Dinwiddie Has Resumed On Court Activity
ACL tears usually have a recovery time of 12-18 months, but Dinwiddie has worked ferociously to rehab his injury. Just four months after suffering the tear, he has already resumed his on-court activity as documented in his latest Instagram post.
The Nets star is still not ruling out a return in time for the playoffs.
“Ohh, that’s a tough one. Recovery’s going great…The ramp-up to be able to play in a playoff atmosphere is realistic,” Dinwiddie said via Diamond Leung of The Athletic.
Spencer Dinwiddie back in the lab and could potentially return for the playoffs 👀
“Recovery’s going great… the ramp-up to be able to play in a playoff atmosphere is realistic” 🗣
(via @SDinwiddie_25, per @diamond83)
Spencer Dinwiddie was asked about status for the playoffs at Collision: “Ohh, that’s a tough one. Recovery’s going great…The ramp-up to be able to play in a playoff atmosphere is realistic.” Adds conditioning is main hurdle and he’s returned to the court in past couple weeks.
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Steve Nash Wants Dinwiddie To Have Full Recovery
Even with Dinwiddie’s unwavering drive to return to the court in 2021 the Nets’ medical staff as well as head coach Steve Nash have had to protect him from himself in a sense. While Dinwiddie returning for a Nets playoff run would be the comeback story of the year, the team is more focused on the 28-year-old’s career having a happy ending.
“We all know that [Dinwiddie is] a hard worker, he’s incredibly strong, and heals quickly,” Nash told reporters back in February via NetsWire.
“But at the same time — like the Kevin situation where he had those extra months to adapt to playing — if [Dinwiddie] were to come back this year, he wouldn’t have that. There’s always a balance to be struck. There’s always a measure to be taken. And the number one priority for me is that he has a great rest of his career and is healthy, and I hope that’s a byproduct of his rehab.”
Teams Were Interested in Dinwiddie at the Trade Deadline
Dinwiddie had a breakout season for the Nets in 2019 and even garnered some consideration for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. He averaged a career-high 20.6 points per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists.
Despite a potentially season-ending injury, Dinwiddie was a player that received a lot of attention leading up to the NBA trade deadline.
According to a report by Marc Stein of the New York Times, one team that the Nets were in conversation with was the Golden State Warriors.
Stein reported that the Nets were targeting the acquisition of Kelly Oubre who is averaging 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game for the Warriors this season.
“Among the options the Brooklyn Nets explored, I’m told, was sending Dinwiddie to Golden State for Kelly Oubre,” Stein said via CBS Sports.
“Golden State rejected those overtures because it is still desperate to make the playoffs.
Despite Stein’s detailed report, Dinwiddie insists that is not how the trade talks went down.
“They actually lied about that sh**,” Dinwiddie told a group of young fans about the trade rumors.
“Because the Warriors offered Kelly Oubre for me & the Nets declined.”
Spencer Dinwiddie refutes Marc Stein’s report that the Nets offered him to Golden State for Kelly Oubre and the Warriors declined.
Dinwiddie says, “They actually lied about that sh*t because the Warriors offered Kelly Oubre for me & the Nets declined.”
Nash Says Dinwiddie Could Rejoin Team Soon
Nash has to be thrilled that the Nets did not pull the trigger on a trade for Dinwiddie at the deadline as his return to the court this season is beginning to seem more and more likely.
“I think there is a time where he is going to come back to the team but I don’t know when that is, to be honest. I know he’s still right in the thick of his rehab. He’s very dedicated, doing all the work, and is ahead of schedule. I’m not sure when the date is,” Nash said via NetsDaily.
“If it’s playoffs, before the playoffs but I know there is the plan for him to come back and be around the guys when he gets the bulk of his rehab done.”
Dinwiddie returning to an already loaded Nets squad healthy and refreshed for the playoffs would be icing on the cake for Brooklyn.
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