Nets see Allen Crabbe ankle sprain as “setback;” no details on return

Allen Crabbe is in a walking boot in Annapolis after spraining his ankle in practice two days ago. There are few details on how bad of a sprain the swingman suffered, but his coach calls it a “setback.”

All Crabbe and Kenny Atkinson will say is that he’s rehabbing and is “day-to-day.” Crabbe sprained his left ankle. He underwent surgery on his left foot back in May. No one is saying if the two are related.

“It’s just a sprained ankle right now. X-rays were negative, so that’s good. Just doing rehab, it’s going to be day-to-day,” Crabbe told beat writers. “We’re just working through it right now, see how I feel each and every morning. We’ll get back as soon as I can.”

“We have to. You’ve got to think 82 games,” Atkinson said when asked if the Nets are being cautious. “Honestly, this is a setback. Again, lack of continuity. You want to see him with different lineups … especially with a new player. So we’ll do the best we can showing him stuff. But it’s not the same.”

The Nets play their first preseason game vs. the Knicks on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. It doesn’t sound like Crabbe will be in the lineup for that one.

Atkinson said he had wanted to quickly integrate Crabbe with Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell. Crabbe and Russell, of course, are new to the team and Lin played only 36 games last season due to hamstring issues.

“Between Jeremy and D’Angelo, they’re going to know how to get him stuff in this offense. So that’s where we need time. That’s a little upsetting about him not [practicing], that he’s not going to get that chemistry. That’s so important.”

Still Atkinson was optimistic with the long-term prospects for the 25-year-old Crabbe, who will earn $19.3 million this season, making him the fifth highest paid Net ever.

“He’s a player,” Atkinson said. “We’re challenging him defensively right off the bat. It’s a good offense for him. He’s a quick decision-maker, an efficient player. He’s going to help us a lot.”

Brooklyn had arrived in Maryland with 20 healthy players, which Atkinson called a big advantage.

“That’s a big plus. I’m very excited about that,” the coach said. “It’s a huge part of professional sports, staying healthy.”

The Nets will remain at the U.S. Naval Academy until Saturday, then return to Brooklyn. In addition to the Knicks on Tuesday, the Nets play the Heat on Thursday and the Knicks again a week from Sunday, both at Barclays Center.

• Nets playing it safe with Allen Crabbe - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets suffer first setback: Allen Crabbe has sprained ankle - Greg Logan - Newsday