Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Friday while playing for Slovenia in an exhibition game against Greece leading up to the 2023 World Cup, per The Denver Post’s Mike Singer. According to Singer, there’s no timetable as of yet for the surgery.
A torn ACL typically necessitates upward of a year of recovery time, meaning it would be somewhat surprising to see Cancar suit up in 2023.
It’s unfortunate news for the 26-year-old, who began carving out a bigger role with the Nuggets last season. With Jeff Green and Thomas Bryant, along with hybrid guard Bruce Brown, departing Denver in free agency, it looked like Cancar was in line for an even larger responsibility this upcoming season.
Cancar is in the second year of a three-year, $6.8M deal he signed in 2022. He has a team option for next season, his final year of club control before he hits the open market. Given that Cancar made noticeable strides last season and the fact that he’s been in Denver’s system for so long, it’s possible that the Nuggets will keep him around through next season, despite the injury.
The 6-foot-8 forward joined the Nuggets in 2019 after being selected by the team with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In his first three seasons with Denver, Cancar averaged 2.3 points per game in 70 appearances. This past season, Cancar averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 60 contests (nine starts).
Cancar wasn’t just an important piece for the Nuggets, but also for Slovenia, who are aiming to medal in the World Cup. Cancar averaged 12.8 points in six games in the 2020 Olympics and averaged 11.6 points in seven EuroBasket contests in 2022.
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