Brooklyn Nets: Maxwell Lewis Suffers Tibia Fracture

The Nets’ new wing went down with the injury in his first game with Brooklyn, and his status will be updated in four weeks.

Jan 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets forward Maxwell Lewis (27) warms up before playing the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Maxwell Lewis suffered a left tibia fracture in his Brooklyn Nets debut on Jan. 1, the team announced on Friday, and his status will be updated in four weeks. 

The fracture is “not expected” to keep Lewis out for the remainder of the regular season, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. The 22-year-old’s injury occurred one minute into his first game for Brooklyn. After making a three, Lewis got tangled up with Toronto Raptors big Jakob Poeltl and went down clutching his left leg.

He returned to New York to get an MRI and was simply listed as ‘out’ for the Nets’ away win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 2 before the team’s latest update. Lewis arrived in Brooklyn as part of the trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

oh my god, Maxwell Lewis checks into the game, hits a three, and then suffers a potentially serious knee injury after Jakob Poeltl steps on his foot... pic.twitter.com/Gp2YoTLEhJ

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) January 2, 2025

Hashtag Basketball’s injury database only has one prior case of a fractured tibia. The tibia refers to the shinbone. Then-Charlotte Hornets guard Frank Ntilkina suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left tibia in Oct. 2023. The French guard missed 88 days. Paul George infamously also suffered a fractured tibia, although also with a fractured fibula, in 2014 and missed 158 days.

In the NFL, a tibial plateau fracture (which happens at the top of the tibia, as opposed to anywhere on the bone) kept tight end Hunter Henry out for 4-5 weeks, according to Hashtag Football’s injury database. The NHL’s Thomas Chabot fractured tibia ruled him out for 12 games, or about a month, in Dec. 2023.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says that the tibia is the “most commonly fractured long bone in the body.” A shinbone fracture can often come with damage to the fibula, as was the case with George, but Lewis avoided that. 

The Nets haven't released further specific details about their new swingman's injury; however, there are varying extents of tibia fractures ranging from transverse (the break being a straight horizontal line) to open (the bone sticking out through the skin). Lewis appears to have dodged significant damage.

The Pepperdine product was the 40th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Being selected by the Lakers was a full circle moment for Lewis’ family, as his father grew up supporting the purple-and-gold ballclub. Lewis appeared in 34 games as a rookie, averaging three minutes and 0.3 points. He'd played in seven games for Los Angeles this year, averaging 0.6 points in 4.1 minutes.

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