By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Alex Abrines has suffered an injury to his left knee, FC Barcelona announced Wednesday.
Abrines, 28, went through the training camp and last weekend’s Supercopa Endesa. He averaged 3.0 points per contest at Tenerife’s Pabellon Insular Santiago Martin. His side ranked second behind Real Madrid.
The Palma native will undergo further medical tests determining the severity of his knee injury. Afterward, the Catalan powerhouse will update his status.
UPDATE: Barcelona announced that Abrines has suffered a patellofemoral injury in his left knee for which he will undergo surgery on Thursday afternoon.
Turkish center Sertac Sanli was already sidelined. A foot injury prevented him from helping his team in the Supercopa. He is among the new additions to the squad coming off a solid season at Anadolu Efes.
Abrines returned to Barca for a second stint in 2019. He registered 6.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game in 2020-21 before inking a contract extension this summer. Also during his 2020-21 campaign, he posted 7.8 points per appearance in Spain’s ACB.
He most recently represented Spain in the 2020 Olympic Games. His effort generated 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest in Tokyo.
His first Barcelona run lasted from 2012 to 2016 and his jump to the NBA. He signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder and went on to compete in 185 NBA games, including 11 Playoffs matches, through the next three seasons. He was waived by the Thunder in February 2019.
The team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius is heading towards the 2021-22 ACB Regular Season opener against UCAM Murcia at home on Sunday. A couple of weeks forward, Barca will host ALBA Berlin on October 1 in the opening round of the EuroLeague Regular Season.