Nuggets' Julian Strawther Awaits MRI on Left Knee After Preseason Injury Against Clippers
Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther left Wednesday's preseason loss to the Clippers with a left knee injury and is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday, a cruel blow as he fights for a rotation spot.
The Denver Nuggets may have lost a key rotation hopeful at the worst possible time. Guard Julian Strawther went down holding his left knee during Wednesday night's 122-110 preseason defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome and had to be helped back to the locker room, with an MRI scheduled for Thursday to determine the extent of the damage.
The timing could hardly be crueler for the 24-year-old, who had been enjoying the best preseason of anyone on the roster at 14 points a night and was locked in a battle with Alpha Diallo for what coach David Adelman has described as the 10th spot in an expanded rotation. Adelman said before the trip to Los Angeles that sorting out the secondary rotation mattered more to him than the starters, and praised Strawther's summer work ethic, adding that all the team could do now was hope for the best.
The injury also arrives at a contract crossroads: Denver has until Monday to hand Strawther a rookie-scale extension, and if no deal is agreed he is likely to become a restricted free agent next summer.