Washington Wizards center Thomas Bryant has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Bryant hyper-extended his knee coming down for a rebound less than two minutes into Saturday’s game against the Miami Heat. The severity of the injury was immediately apparent as Bryant clutched his knee writhing in pain.
Bryant needed assistance to make it to the locker room. He did not return to the game and was scheduled for an MRI Sunday.
His loss is huge for a Wizards team that is 2-8 through the first 10 games of the season despite having one of the better backcourts in the NBA with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook.
In his third season with the Wizards, the 23-year old Bryant’s maturation on the court was glaring. This season, he averaged a career-high 14.3 points per game. He shot an efficient 64.8% from the field. His 71.4% shooting on two-point shots leads the NBA. He also expanded his shooting range, making 42.9% from three-point range.
Instead of completing a breakthrough season alongside Beal and Westbrook, Bryant will be facing up to a year of recovery to get back on the court. Meanwhile, next season will be the final year of his three-year, $25 million contract he signed in 2019.
With Bryant out the remainder of the season, Robin Lopez, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, is expected to start at center. Moritz Wagner could see a considerable bump in minutes backing up Lopez.
