Tuesday 20 November 2018 08:37, UK
Brooklyn Nets forward Caris LeVert is thankful that he can expect to return this season from a gruesome foot injury that initially appeared to be far more serious.
LeVert and his teammates feared the worst when his ankle was left dislocated by a fall during the Nets meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 12.
The 24-year-old, who had been leading the Nets with 18.4 points per game in what was set to be a breakout season, has now revealed the whirlwind of emotions he went through.
"Obviously, when I looked at it, I was like, 'Wow, that's messed up,'" LeVert said on Monday.
LeVert, a first-round draft pick of the Indiana Pacers in 2016 who was traded to the Nets right away, said the worst of his pain was over fairly quickly when the team's medical staff popped the ankle back into place.
"That was actually really painful. That was the most painful part of it all," LeVert said.
He found out at the hospital later that while more tests would be needed when he returned to New York, there didn't appear to be major damage to the foot.
"Obviously, I'm very blessed, because it could have been a lot worse," LeVert said, adding that while there is no timetable for returning to the lineup, he does expect to play again this season.
The Nets, who have won one of their three games since LeVert went down, are ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 7-10 record.
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