Season Stats:
5 G, 5 GS, 27.2 MPG, 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG, .494 eFG%, .527 TS%, 21.9 PER, 11.3% PIE
Preseason Outlook
After a nasty bout with mononucleosis in 2010-11, Brook Lopez was hit much harder by an injury bug in preseason — suffering a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. He’ll be evaluated and is expected to miss at least six weeks, if not more. If and when he returns, Lopez must be re-evaluated, but the injury is likely not to have any long-term effects.
Evaluation
Welp.
Let’s start with the good: In the two games he played more than 40 minutes in, Brook scored 66 total points — 38 against Dallas (including the game-winning free throws), and 28 against Boston.
Aaaand… that’s about it.
There’s no way to describe Lopez’s season without using the word “lost.” Lopez lost an opportunity to prove himself. He lost a chance to show the NBA that he’s more than just a soft, midrange-reliant seven-footer that racks up stats on a bad team. The offense — and really, the defense too — looked almost completely lost without his presence. In losing this year, Brook Lopez potentially lost his one chance to develop a chemistry with Deron Williams. He lost time to improve his game in favor of rehabilitation. The team lost games in his absence, and the compounding injuries assuredly lost Brook money in restricted free agency.
I’d keep going, but there’s nothing left to find.
Final Grade:
— INCOMPLETE —
