he Vertical’s Shams Charania is reporting that Paul Millsap will undergo surgery on his left wrist and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Millsap appeared to injure his left wrist on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the game at halftime. He checked back into the game shortly after the injury but was quickly pulled and did not return. The team did not announce the results of an x-ray until Monday morning when the team revealed that the x-rays came back negative. However, earlier today head coach Michael Malone revealed to Altitude Radio that Millsap flew home to Denver ahead of last night’s game to get evaluated by the team’s medical staff.
UPDATE: ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the surgery will be to repair a torn ligament and will likely sideline Millsap for three months.
We will update this story as more details emerge but it seems difficult to imagine the Nuggets will have Millsap back on the court anytime soon. The four-time all-star was the key addition to the Nuggets roster this off-season and arguably the most important player on the roster. He’s had a very noticeable impact on the team’s defensive execution, helping elevate the team from the league’s 2nd worst defense last season to the league’s 17th best defense this season. He’s also second on the team in scoring and rebounding and fourth on the team in assists.
Kenneth Faried will likely replace Millsap in the starting lineup. Faried and Nikola Jokic had great chemistry offensively last season, outscoring opponents by 12.5 points per 100 possessions when they shared the court together. Millsap’s absence will also open the door to more minutes for Juancho Hernangomez and Trey Lyles, two options for backup power forward in more smallball lineups off of the bench.
