Hoops Habit
Fansided

Brooklyn Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson To Undergo Surgery

By Duncan Smith

Nov 20, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) returns the ball against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) returns the ball against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

A Brooklyn Nets franchise devoid of hope took another body blow Monday when they learned rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would require surgery on his ankle.

The Brooklyn Nets have fought adversity admirably this season. In spite of their dismal 5-15 record, they’ve battled excellent teams and played them tougher than almost anybody could have hoped. They’ve beaten the Houston Rockets on the road, they’ve beaten the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns.

They’ve lost close games to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Charlotte Hornets, and even took the mighty Golden State Warriors to overtime on the road.

The Nets were expected to lose plenty of games this year, but they absorbed a loss this week much greater than any single defeat in what is certainly a lost season.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: 25 Best Players To Play For The Nets

On Monday, the Nets announced that promising rookie forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the posterior talus in Saturday’s practice. It was diagnosed at the time as an ankle sprain, which is common with this type of ankle fracture.

Hollis-Jefferson will be out an indefinite amount of time. He will undergo surgery later this week, and that’s when the team and doctors will be able to establish a timetable for his return.

Hollis-Jefferson had started 14 of the 19 games in which he has played this season, scoring 5.2 points per game and adding 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals while averaging 22.1 minutes per game. He has shot the ball well, hitting 48.1 percent from the field, and averaging 2.1 makes on 4.3 attempts per game.

Perhaps most impressively on this basement-dwelling team, Hollis-Jefferson is one of only three players to receive regular minutes who has recorded a positive net rating this season for the Nets, recording a plus-3 rating, according to Basketball Reference.

According to NBA Wowy, when he is off the floor, the Nets are surrendering 109.3 points per 100 possessions, but that number drops to just 102.9 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 7

While Hollis-Jefferson is out of the lineup, Bojan Bogdanovic is expected to take his spot in the starting lineup.

Home/Brooklyn Nets