Will Barton’s shot attempts are about to go through the roof.
Danilo Gallinari, the Denver Nuggets’ leading scorer, is expected to miss an extended period of time after suffering a right ankle sprain against the Dallas Maverick on Friday, per The Denver Post‘s Christopher Dempsey:
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Sunday he expects veteran forward Danilo Gallinari to miss “an extended period of time” because of a severely sprained right ankle. Malone isn’t counting on the team’s leading scorer to play during a seven-game homestand that starts Monday and wraps up March 12.
“I feel bad for him. He was having a career year,” Malone said. “It’s always tough when you lose a player like Gallo for us because we’re so young and he gives us so many things. But just for him, as a young man, because that’s a lot to handle and for him to hurt it and be out for a long period of time, it’s not good for any of us. But we’ll support him in every way we can and hopefully he can come back even better.”
Gallinari told La Gazzetta della Sport (via Sportando) that he expects to miss the next three to four weeks, which would put him back, most likely, sometime just before or in April.
It’s a crushing blow to Gallinari, who is basically playing like an All-Star this season. But the Nuggets have enough frontcourt depth to soldier on without him, and they’re not contending for a playoff spot.
Sprained ankles aren’t considered super serious, and Denver has the luxury of taking things slow. The Nuggets are rebuilding anyway. They’ll be able to give other kiddies minutes and experience that may pay off in the long run.
