Injury Update: Maxwell Lewis avoids the worst amid a crowded status report

To say the least, the Brooklyn Nets are banged up right now, but they have gotten a bit of comforting news amidst the barrage of injury.

Maxwell Lewis, the 22-year-old wing Brooklyn acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in the D’Angelo Russell/Dorian Finney-Smith swap, had what looked like a tragic start to his Nets career on New Year’s Day in Toronto…

He was eventually carried off the floor by Brooklyn staffers, but not before spending minutes writhing in pain and grabbing the back of his left knee on the Scotiabank Arena floor. That is what season-ending and/or career-altering injuries look like, and not that there’s ever a good time for one of those, but it felt especially cruel for Lewis.

“The toughest part of today is seeing one of your guys going down,” said Head Coach Jordi Fernández after the game. “You know, we’re all thinking about the kid Max. He, goes in, he’s ready to play, he makes a three, and we don’t know the extent of the injury, we’ll obviously do an MRI, but all our group is thinking about him, and we’re sending all positive energy.”

Perhaps that positive energy made a difference for the former Pepperdine Wave. The Nets announced on Friday that Lewis suffered a left tibia fracture, and his status will be updated in four weeks. Brooklyn did not announce any scheduled surgery, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that Lewis “is not expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a fractured left tibia.”

It is reminiscent of the unforgettable injury Caris LeVert suffered back in November of 2018 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when a stomach-churning fall resulted “only” in a dislocated foot that LeVert miraculously returned from by the end of the year. Here’s hoping the similarities for Lewis don’t end there.

Alas, Maxwell Lewis was far from the only name on Brooklyn’s initial status report for Saturday evening’s contest at home against the Philadelphia 76ers…

Noah Clowney was also listed as questionable for Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which he ultimately missed, after taking a hard fall in Toronto. Not much is new there.

However, Cam Thomas’ designation is. After missing 13 games with a left hamstring strain, Thomas returned at the end of December for a game against the Orlando Magic, sat with scheduled rest in Toronto, then played in Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back.

But for Saturday, he’s listed as questionable, and it’s not with injury management but another left hamstring sighting. Uh-oh.

The last time a Net re-injured his left hamstring, it was Trendon Watford, who missed the season’s first 13 games, returned for 13, and will now miss his ninth straight with another absence on Saturday. Brooklyn must be cautious with Thomas, their leading scorer by PPG.

Cam Johnson, meanwhile, is doubtful to play on Saturday after tweaking his left ankle in the dying seconds of Brooklyn’s victory over Milwaukee…

As for Bojan Bogdanović, De’Anthony Melton, and Dariq Whitehead, none of their very different circumstances have changed, and none will suit up for the Nets on Saturday.

Phew! It’s that time of the season, I suppose.