During their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets suffered their biggest loss of the season: David Nwaba.
The 26-year-old wing will reportedly have surgery on Friday morning and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. This is a particularly big blow for Nwaba, a former undrafted free agent that played community college ball for Santa Monica College in Los Angeles before transferring to Cal Poly.
He was enjoying his fourth professional season, finally finding a stride as a bona fide 3-and-D player in the NBA. Look at this compilation of his best blocks and steals of the season, using his 7-foot wingspan to his advantage:
This injury is also devastating for the Nets, who had welcome Nwaba in their rotation. Brooklyn was outscoring their opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court. That is the best net rating of anyone who played at least ten minutes for the team this season.
One of the more surprising takeaways when looking at his stats: The guard played 49 minutes alongside teammates Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen in 2019. The Nets outscored their opponents by a comically impressive rate of 47.1 points per 100, which was the best net rating among all four-man lineups (minimum: 40 minutes) in the league.
Even though he is not known for his scoring, he was averaging 22.6 points per 36 minutes in that time. It was a lineup that clearly worked for both him and his team alike.
If there's a lineup possibility that allows David Nwaba to play 48 minutes, yes
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) December 20, 2019
Overall, Nwaba was averaging 1.12 points per possession for the Nets so far this season. That ranked in the 91st percentile among all players, per Synergy Sports. He was shooting a career-best 46.2 percent from beyond the arc this season and had connected on half of his attempts from the corner.
The majority of his other field goal attempts came from the restricted area, where he was shooting an impressive 65.6 percent. As you can see from his shot chart, Nwaba bragged the basketball intelligence to avoid the midrange and instead focus on the more efficient opportunities.
It did not matter if he was shooting while closely contended, either. He was shooting 7-for-11 (63.6 percent) when his nearest defender was within two feet of him, which is no easy task for anyone at any level. He was averaging 1.31 points per possession on guarded catch-and-shoot attempts, via Synergy, which ranked in the 92nd percentile.
But arguably his most valuable addition to his team had been his defensive presence.
Biggest thing David Nwaba brings to the Nets: His defensive effort.
Climbs the ladder to block the 7-footer Alex Len. pic.twitter.com/x8FZ9eSG3T
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) December 5, 2019
According to Cleaning the Glass, his block percentage (2.1 percent) ranked as the best among all players at his position. Opponents had an effective field goal percentage of just 42.6 percent when he was on the floor, which is much lower than the league average (52.2 percent) this year.
Nwaba is the type of scrappy player who found himself near the top of the team leaderboard for loose balls recovered, deflections, and charges drawn. These are the hustle plays that create a winning mentality for any basketball team.
While it will be tough to replace the things he provides the team on the court as he recovers from his injury, the Nets will be lucky to have him around the locker room as he continues his story of perseverance.
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