Ian Mahinmi out for 6 weeks

NBA Update – Washington Wizards center Ian Mahinmi will undergo platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment on both of his knees, which will hold him out for “approximately six weeks,” the team announced on Tuesday in a release, via Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. 

Mahinmi has been limited to just a single game this season due to his knees and decided to undergo the PRP treatment after consulting with a team physician and Dr. James Andrews.

On Oct. 14, two weeks before the start of the regular season, the 30-year-old underwent surgery on his left knee but “aggravated patellar tendinitis in his right knee” along with suffering a bone bruise on his left knee during rehab, per the release.

The frustration continues to mount for Mahinmi and the Wizards, who are in their first year together. Over the summer, he inked a four-year, $64 million deal with the team after four seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

It was a major deal for a player who was a starter for just one of his prior eight years in the NBA. That one year was last season with Indiana in which he started 71 games, averaging a career-high 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Before that, he had never averaged more than 5.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 18.8 minutes per game.

In Washington, he was expected to bring added defense and physicality to a center position that featured Marcin Gortat, who has been the team’s starting 5 since 2013.

Instead, the Wizards have relied on Jason Smith, who is putting up 3.3 points in 10.7 minutes per game as Gortat’s backup.

The lackluster frontcourt has done little to support a team that is 12-15 and 11th in the Eastern Conference. It’s a combination that the Wizards will have to deal with for at least another six weeks before they can possibly get a good look at their big summer signing.

Category: Basketball