The Toronto Raptors may be without arguably their top perimeter defender for an extended period of time.
Forward DeMarre Carroll underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday morning and has no timetable for a return, the team announced in a release.
Initial estimates are that Carroll could miss six-to-eight weeks (per Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star), which is about on par with procedures of this nature.
As I just told @HayesTSN, I'm hearing an intiial estimate of 6-8 weeks on DeMarre Carroll, but it's still early.
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) January 6, 2016
The 29-year-old Carroll signed with the Raptors over the summer on a four-year, $60 million deal. He is averaging 11.7 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game in 23 appearances this season.
Toronto will have to continue relying heavily on the inconsistent Terrence Ross as well as James Johnson, who, while able to replicate Carroll’s defensive impact, is mostly an offensive liability. As such, the 21-15 Raptors are in some danger of falling below sea level amongst the proletariat of the Eastern Conference.
Image Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
