The Brooklyn Nets were beaten 106-95 by the Miami Heat on Thursday, and they failed to perform as well as the Heat in the fourth quarter. One of the other subplots that occurred during Brooklyn’s game was rookie forward Derek Powell going down with a sprained right ankle earlier in the game. Powell will miss at least one game.
The Nets announced Saturday that Powell will miss Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors due to injury, and as of this writing, Brooklyn has yet to explain the severity of his ankle sprain. After Thursday’s loss to Miami, Nets coach Jordy Fernandez said he had no idea the severity of Powell’s injury but that the team had to evaluate him.
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As of now, Powell will be out of Brooklyn’s rotation, and someone has to step up in his absence. Forward Jaylen Wilson came off the bench and had eight points and two rebounds in 13 minutes, and although Fernandez didn’t get consistent playing time, he wanted to get as much minutes to the rookies as possible while also leaving some minutes for the veterans.
The 25-year-old Wilson averaged 5.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game, shooting 37.9% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range, but his role in the rotation has declined compared with the beginning of the season. Wilson has not played in four of Brooklyn’s last eight games, but in the four games he has played in that span, he has averaged 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 47.9 percent from the field.
Another interesting factor in the Nets’ injury report is that rookie guard Ben Saraf will miss Sunday’s game against Toronto on G-League duty. Brooklyn’s G-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, are in Florida for the G-League Showcase. Brooklyn recalled rookie Nolan Traore from Long Island, who looks like he could serve as the backup point guard if Saraf exits the rotation.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets rookie Drake Powell (ankle) to face Raptors on Sunday
