Nets' Trendon Watford unlikely to return from hamstring injury during road trip
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The Brooklyn Nets will remain without a key bench contributor for the remainder of their six-game road trip. Head coach Jordi Fernandez said Friday that Trendon Watford is unlikely to play during the West Coast swing. The 24-year-old has missed Brooklyn’s last 12 games due to a left hamstring strain.
Watford missed the entire preseason and the first six weeks of the regular season due to the hamstring. He re-injured it during a Dec. 16 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Trendon Watford remains sidelined by hamstring injury
Watford has made an impact in the brief moments he’s been available this season. The LSU product has averaged 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 16.1 minutes per game over 13 appearances. He scored on back-to-back possessions to seal a Nov. 19 win over the Charlotte Hornets during his second game of the season.
Watford saw a role change after joining the Nets on the minimum last year. After playing his first two NBA seasons as a small-ball five with the Portland Trail Blazers, he transitioned to a point-forward role. He impressed during limited opportunities, averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 52.7 percent shooting in 13.6 minutes per game.
Watford is one of the Nets’ few remaining ball-handling options after they traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. His absence and recent injuries to D’Angelo Russell, Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson have plummeted Brooklyn’s offense.
Since trading Schroder, the Nets’ offense has ranked 29th over the last 13 games. They’ve averaged 100.9 points and 17.2 turnovers on 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 32.2 percent from while posting a 3-10 record during that span.
Returning to the floor and remaining healthy will be crucial for Watford as Brooklyn seeks to evaluate him during his second season with the team. The 6-foot-8 point-forward signed a $2.7 million qualifying offer last offseason and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s one of several players impending free agents on which the Nets will face decisions.
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