Thankfully, Cleanthony Early appears to be on track for a full recovery after a terrifying incident early Wednesday morning.
The second-year Knicks forward was shot once in the knee outside of a Queens nightclub in an apparent robbery.
Luckily, an MRI revealed no structural damage and that Early would not need surgery. The 24-year-old was fortunate that the bullet exited his leg cleanly and did not become lodged. He remains hospitalized in New York and is expected to undergo a cleanup of his knee to avoid infection, per Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports.
Cleanthony Early's MRI results reveal no structural damage or surgery needed on shot knee, sources tell Yahoo. Clean up to avoid infection.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 30, 2015
Gun shot to Cleanthony Early's right knee went straight through, no bullet lodged, sources tell Y! The Knicks forward remains in hospital.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 30, 2015
Charania also notes that the Wichita State product is expected to make a full recovery within about two to three months. Early was shot in the same knee that required arthroscopic surgery during his rookie season in 2014-15.
Drafted by the Knicks with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Early has made ten appearances for the team this season, averaging just 3.4 minutes per game.
Image Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
