Mavs Report: Brunson Will Try To Play With Torn Labrum Before Surgery

A Dallas Mavericks Report Says Guard Jalen Brunson Will Try To Play The Rest of the NBA Season With A Torn Labrum Before Undergoing Offseason Surgery

DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks are concerned that backup guard Jalen Brunson may have sustained a torn labrum in his right shoulder as a result of a violent game-opening collision in last weekend's notable loss at Atlanta, per an ESPN report.

Brunson is not active during this week's Mavs road trip, which continues in Miami on Friday. But he reportedly plans to return at some point and to play in the late-going of the regular season and the playoffs.

Sources: The Mavs fear backup PG Jalen Brunson has a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Brunson, a lefty, has been ruled out the remaining two games of this road trip but plans to return at some point and play the remainder of the season. Postseason surgery is a possibility.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 27, 2020

The seriousness of the injury is such that offseason surgery is a possibility.

Brunson, a second-year guard, has appeared in 57 games for the Mavs this season. He’s averaging 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line. He's been part of the Dallas depth that has helped the Luka Doncic-led Mavs to a 36-23 record and a seventh-place spot in the Western Conference standings.

The nasty collision in Atlanta came on the first play of the game and it was the first controversy, too, as the Hawks were not administered any punishment for a cheap shot of Brunson while he was in the air. Later in the game came a series of controversial decisions by the referees that left owner Mark Cuban fuming and that led to the Mavs filing an official protest with the NBA, along with a request to re-play the final nine seconds of what would be a Mavs loss.