Vlatko Čančar out for at least the next eight weeks following knee surgery

Earlier this afternoon, the Denver Nuggets shared an injury update on forward Vlatko Čančar following a knee injury he sustained earlier this season.

This comes directly from the team:

“Denver Nuggets forward Vlatko Čančar has undergone arthroscopic surgery of the left knee. The surgery was performed by Dr. Riley J. Williams III at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He will be re-evaluated in eight weeks.”

Čančar suffered the injury on November 19th of this season against the Memphis Grizzlies. Initially, the Nuggets were concerned about the injury and wanted to get multiple opinions from different doctors about ways they could proceed.

Ultimately, Čančar and the team decided on surgery, a procedure that will keep the Slovenian forward out of the rotation until at least the start of February. The other options the Nuggets discussed were not disclosed publicly, though it appears that Čančar may have found a route that allows him an opportunity to play later this season. That’s a better outcome than many likely thought would come to pass. I assumed Čančar was out for the entire season, but perhaps he can still return and be of service to Denver in the future.

Čančar played just four games for the Nuggets this season prior to suffering the knee injury, missing games due to an ankle injury as well. He averaged just 8.5 minutes per game and was just starting to look closer to his old self before landing awkwardly on the left knee following a transition dunk.

The Nuggets have missed Čančar this season. His versatility and high basketball IQ help connect the floor for Denver on both ends. After the season ending injury to DaRon Holmes prior to his first game, this injury has compounded bench issues for the Nuggets.

Čančar is currently playing on an expiring contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. This is a big moment in his NBA career after missing all of last season due to a torn ACL. Here’s hoping to a successful recovery for Čančar and another opportunity to prove his capabilities in the near future.