Brooklyn Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV has been incredible for the Nets ever since this season started, but Sunday represented a blend of something new and something recurring when it comes to his season so far. Walker had his first bad game of the 2023-24 season, but he also felt more pain in his left knee.
With about 18 seconds left in the first quarter of Brooklyn’s 102-94 win over the Washington Wizards, Walker drove to the rim and tried to finish over Wizards forward Deni Avdija. However, Walker missed the layup and landed hard on the court with a bunch of players still around him.
While Washington rebounded the ball and went towards the other side of the court, Walker was still down for the entire Wizards possession until the end of the period where he needed help getting off the hardwood. Once Walker was helped to his feet by some teammates, he walked gingerly off the court to the Nets locker room where he remained until Brooklyn came out to warm up for the second half.
Walker participated in the warm up and after that, the Nets announced that he was available for the second half. So, with Walker being able to finish the game, it looks like Brooklyn avoided another injury to one of its important players, but time will tell if Walker will miss games moving forward. He believes that he won’t:
“It’ll (his left knee) do its job, i’ll be ready for next game. If my leg’s not broken, I’m going to keep playing, you know? My pops always say(s), just keep drinking water. Somehow, I don’t know how that equates to this injury, but we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
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