An Update on the Status of Jon Leuer
By Sham Mohile
After weeks of no further update on Jon Leuer, news finally broke about the status of the Detroit Pistons big man.
In what seems like an eternity since the Detroit Pistons have provided any sort of update on the status of Pistons’ forward, Jon Leuer, news finally broke from one of the Pistons beat writers.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit News tweeted last night:
Talked to Leuer before the game. Said main issue is painful bone fragments in the ankle. Also some other stuff going on. Trying to stave off surgery, but said if surgery happens, possible he would be done for season. https://t.co/KsGDlqxL7k
— VinceEllis (@AlabamaScribe56) January 4, 2018
Per Ellis, it seems like the curious story of Jon Leuer has taken a new twist. In what was supposed to be a benign ankle sprain which had a recovery time of no more than a month, Leuer is experiencing bone spurs (fragments) which indicate that there is some sort of grinding between tibia (shin bone) and the bones in the foot.
It’s still unclear as to whether the ankle injury suffered earlier this season caused this problem, or merely exacerbated an underlying issue.
I wrote earlier in the season about Jon Leuer’s usage of a joint lubrication injection to treat the sprained ankle (read here) that I found to be odd because these injections are common in those with arthritis or joint problems, but now it’s starting to make more sense due to the bone-on-bone grinding and fragmentation that’s occurring in the ankle as well.
Leuer’s absence has been felt by the Pistons, most recently with the loss to the Miami Heat. With Andre Drummond out with bruised ribs, Boban Marjanovic and Eric Moreland both struggled to guard Kelly Olynyk – who torched them for a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds. Leuer’s ability to guard bigs that can shoot from outside is extremely valuable and this weakness was exposed on Wednesday in South Beach.
The Pistons travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Friday night.