Suns forward Cameron Johnson has undergone a surgical procedure on his injured right knee that removed a part of his meniscus, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter link). Sources tell Windhorst that Johnson should be able to return to action in one or two months.
Meniscus tears can be treated in a variety of ways, and the form of treatment dictates a player’s recovery timeline. When a torn meniscus is surgically repaired, it costs a player several months (Jaren Jackson, Collin Sexton, and James Wiseman are among the players who took this path in recent years), while removing part or all of the meniscus generally results in a much quicker recovery. It sounds like Johnson and the Suns chose the latter route.
Johnson is in a contract year after not reaching an agreement on a rookie scale extension with the Suns prior to the start of the regular season.
The 26-year-old got the opportunity to move into Phoenix’s starting lineup on a full-time basis this season and was off to a good start, averaging 13.0 PPG with a .431 3PT% through eight games (25.3 MPG) — both marks would represent career highs.
With Jae Crowder away from the team as he awaits a trade, the Suns figure to lean more heavily on Torrey Craig while they wait for Johnson to make it back onto the court. Damion Lee, Dario Saric, and Josh Okogie are among the other reserve wings and forwards who are candidates for increased roles, though Saric and Okogie haven’t been regular rotation players so far this season.
1 to 2 months is the best hope. Most players with that injury is out a lot longer.
Right. As the article suggests in the old days they would just cut out the torn area and you would have less meniscus padding between the bones.
Today, if they can, they sew it back together. If the tear is on the outside there’s more blood flow as opposed to near the middle, and a good chance of repair over time.
The old way cutting off the torn piece results in bone on bone eventually when the bone surface cartilage wears off.