Lopez suffered season-ending right foot injury in December last year…
Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez has been “fully cleared” for play after recovering from foot and ankle surgery in December last year.
The 26-year-old suffered a season-ending right foot injury on December 20 in Philadelphia, and coupled with injury woes elsewhere on the roster effecting the likes of Deron Williams and Kevin Garnett, the Nets’ championship push was derailed during the regular season.
Despite making the playoffs, former coach Jason Kidd was unable to move beyond the Miami Heat in the post-season, and numerous changes have since been made at the franchise ahead of the new campaign.
Lopez’s absence was seen as a key reason for their failure, and his return to competitive action will be a welcome sight for all connected with the Nets moving forward.
“I was fully cleared for play and everything about a week and a half ago now,” said Lopez, ESPN reports.
“Now it’s time to get back in shape.”
Lopez underwent surgery to repair the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot on January 4, while he also went through a second procedure to reposition a bone in order to unload and protect the injured area.
In addition, on March 3, he also had surgery to repair a torn tendon and tighten lateral ligaments in his left ankle, but given the severity of his problems in recent times, it is likely that Brooklyn will monitor him closely during the pre-season schedule in order to establish how many minutes he will play on his return to competitive action.
Lopez averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game on 56.3 percent shooting last season before getting injured, as he proved to be a dominant offensive force in the low post.
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