According to Marc Spears of ESPN, Will Barton is expected to have surgery to repair his Adductor muscle Tuesday.
While Barton having to go under the needle is the last thing anyone wanted, this diagnosis is much less devastating than it could have been. Barton is expected to return to the court in 5-6 weeks, which puts his return date somewhere around the beginning of December. Denver plays the Toronto Raptors on December 3rd which could be a targeted date for Barton to return to the hardwood for the Nuggets.
After seeing the agonizing pain that Barton was in after getting injured, this seems like a dodged bullet. If Barton had torn his labrum, like some speculated could have been the case, Barton would have missed the rest of the year. Six weeks is not too long and it will allow Barton time to get back into game shape as the Nuggets begin gearing up for their playoff push.
For the time being, it seems that Torrey Craig will continue to start in Barton’s pace, but Nuggets head coach Michael Malone did say that Denver could rotate who starts in his spot. All three of Trey Lyles, Juancho Hernangomez, and Craig have the ability to fill in for Barton. It will be up to Malone to decide who he wants in with the starting five.
Barton is averaging 16.5 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game so far this year in 54 total minutes for the Nuggets.
