The Washington Wizards were putting forth a terrific first half performance against the Golden State Warriors before they saw one of their best young players go down with an apparently serious injury.
Rookie forward Deni Avdija was taken off the court in a wheelchair after suffering a gruesome looking ankle injury in the second quarter. The injury was so bad that teammate Jordan Bell ran over and covered his leg with a warmup shirt, recognizing how bad it was, and consoled the young forward on the court as he was attended to.
Wizards rookie Deni Avdija suffers a lower leg injury coming down from a rebound
Prayers up
pic.twitter.com/Vwo82znEuM
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 22, 2021
Avdija would leave in a wheelchair in considerable pain in a scary scene in Washington.
Deni Avdija is coming off he floor in a wheelchair. Didn’t look like he could put any weight on his leg. He’s wheeled off the floor with a towel over his head. Looks like he’s in extraordinary pain.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) April 22, 2021
The injury occurred as Avdija came down and had his right leg get caught underneath him as he fell backwards, with his ankle getting bent terribly. (Warning: Video of the injury is graphic.)
Deni Avdija has been taken out of the game after injuring his right leg pic.twitter.com/dhWTIBjql7
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 22, 2021
Avdija has had his ups and downs this season, as rookies often do, averaging 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Wizards, but the flashes have been there of the potential he has as a playmaking forward. Hopefully Avdija will make a full recovery and we’ll learn more about the specifics of the injury in the coming day as X-rays and MRIs will be scheduled, but for now we can just wish for the best for the young man.