DeMar DeRozan left Friday night’s home loss to the Mavericks with an injury that was initially labeled a groin strain, and he was unable to return to action.
A day later it was revealed as being far more severe.
Tests revealed torn left adductor longus tendon, the Raptors announced, and there’s no timetable for a return.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders did some homework on the injury, and says surgical recovery from a tear can take up to 12 weeks, but non-surgical recovery is in the six-to-seven week range.
Sam Amick of USA Today reports that DeRozan is hopeful he can return in four weeks or less.
The Raptors have been one of the best teams of the league through the first month of the season, posting a record of 13-3, which is tops in the Eastern Conference.
DeRozan is the team’s leading scorer at 19.4 points per game, but Toronto has used a balanced attack, and has plenty of depth in guys like Terrence Ross, James Johnson and Greivis Vasquez who could take his place in the starting lineup.
This is a significant blow to the Raptors, but it shouldn’t be a fatal one as long as DeRozan returns to form at some point in the next couple of months.