Brooklyn Nets Give Injury Update on Yuta Watanabe

Yuta Watanabe has been one of the pleasant surprises in the NBA this season, providing a spark for a Brooklyn Nets team that desperately needed one. The sharpshooting forward had been knocking down a blistering 57.1% of his shots from deep before being sidelined with a hamstring injury that will keep him out at least one more week.

The Nets announced on Wednesday that MRI results on Watanabe's hamstring were similar to previous results, forcing the forward to miss at least one more week. Another reevaluation will come after this week, which will determine if Watanabe can return to game action, or if he will need to miss even more time.

This news comes at the same time as some injury news on Ben Simmons, as the former All-Star will miss at least three games with a muscle strain in his left leg. Simmons had been playing much better basketball of late, so it is unfortunate to see him go down. Without Simmons and Watanabe, Brooklyn will have to lean even more on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Kevin Durant has been playing at an MVP level this season, and has carried Brooklyn through some difficult circumstances. Now without two key supporting cast members, Durant will have to continue his elite play, as Brooklyn is in need of wins. Their margin for error is small, but Durant and Irving should be up for the challenge.