Non-contact injuries can be the worst.
Against Phoenix over the weekend, Denver’s Will Barton went in for a relatively uncontested reverse layup, but as soon as he lands he grabs his hip and goes to the floor in obvious pain. It did not look good.
There wasn’t much in the way of information from the team.
Will Barton has been diagnosed with a right hip and core strain.
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 22, 2018
However, a report from Marc Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated gives us more details.
Nuggets guard Will Barton (Adductor muscle) will have surgery tomorrow and is expected to be out 5-6 weeks, a source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 22, 2018
The adductor muscles are traditionally called the groin muscles. It’s a series of muscles that help the hips move and are connected to the thigh.
That’s bad news for Denver, a team off to a fast 3-0 start including a win over Golden State. Barton has averaged 16.5 points per game and five rebounds a night in 27 minutes per game through the first three, and he’s been hot from three shooting 55.6 percent. Expect the defensive-minded Torrey Craig to get the bulk of the minutes with Barton out, but both Juancho Hernangomez and Trey Lyles could see a little extra run as well.
