There is never a good time for torn ACL, but Spencer Dinwiddie’s timing was abysmal: He was set to be a critical role player for a contending Brooklyn Nets team, then head into free agency off that momentum.
Dinwiddie tore his ACL in December and has been out since. He also has trumpeted his rehab progress on social media and pushed to return for at least some of this postseason.
Now comes a report from Kristian Winfield at the New York Daily News that Dinwiddie is looking at being back on the court for the Finals.After more than six months on the sidelines due to an ACL injury, Dinwiddie is eyeing a return to play if the Nets make it to the Finals, the Daily News has learned. A source close to the Nets’ combo guard also says after spending most of the regular season rehabbing in Los Angeles, Dinwiddie is planning to return to the team “sooner than later...”
Dinwiddie is back to on-court work with noted NBA trainer Olin Simplis, who has trained him throughout his career.
The Nets do appear headed to the Finals — they have been the best team in the East so far this postseason — and it sounds like Dinwiddie will be around the team, at the very least.
You have to admire Dinwiddie’s perseverance, but players can often be the worst judges of their own rehab progress. Brooklyn would fear an Anthony Davis-like situation if he played, and even if Dinwiddie is healthy enough it is a huge jump to go from missing seven months of competitive basketball to jumping straight into the NBA Finals, the highest level of the sport.
Even with the time missed due to injury, Dinwiddie will have a lot of suitors this offseason. Solid point guards are in demand.