Former Blazer Suffers Major Preseason Injury

Matt Levine | Oct 14, 2024

As the Portland Trail Blazers start a new season in the NBA, they will be looking to bounce back from a poor year. They finished with a record of 21-61 last season but spent the offseason trying to improve the team as much as they could, within reason.

Portland entered the summer with some assets that opposing teams were interested in but only ended up trading away one player. They moved veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Washington Wizards in exchange for forward Deni Advija.

Brogdon was a hot name around the NBA due to his strong defensive instincts and shooting ability. But much like what has plagued him in the past, his injury troubles have reared their ugly heads.

Brogdon has suffered an injury already with the Wizards just before the start of the new season. This is a big blow to Washington as they were counting on Brogdon to help them in the backcourt.

“During a practice Saturday at McGill University, veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon injured his right hand, prompting Wizards officials to send him back to Washington for detailed imaging exams to determine the severity of the injury,” Robbins reported. “Even before that imaging took place, a league source told The Athletic that Brogdon is expected to miss at least one month.”

He was effective while with the Trail Blazers last season, averaging 5.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Brogdon has made a name for himself in the NBA but injuries have held him back from fully putting things together throughout his career.

Portland was able to move Brogdon before any major injury occurred and they are excited about the promise that Advija brings to the table. While Brogdon did bring the veteran experience to a young team, Advija fits more of the timeline that the Trail Blazers are looking for.

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups praised Advija for his ability to work all over the court.

“Deni is just a basketball player, so you kind of use him all over the place,” Billups said. “He’s also a really good secondary playmaker. He can really pass. He’s kind of a Swiss Army knife-type of dude in terms of you can use them as a screener, obviously his shot has gotten a lot better. He can finish. We’ll be using him all over.”

Losing Brogdon does hurt but Portland is excited for the future. This injury to the veteran is unfortunate to see and the hope is that he can return to the court soon.

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