Tyler Lydon, the Denver Nuggets’ first-round draft selection from the 2017 NBA Draft, has been recalled from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — due to his sprained ankle, oddly enough — according to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
“To be honest, one of the reasons he was recalled was that he sprained his ankle,” Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone said at shoot-around, prior to the Nuggets hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lydon has spent the entirety of the Nuggets’ regular season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the G-League affiliate of the Houston Rockets. He has played in two games so far, in which he amassed nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 33 minutes of court-time while shooting 4-for-9 from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point distance in both games combined.
Lydon has no restrictions when re-joining the Nuggets like Torrey Craig and Monte Morris do. Craig and Morris are on two-way contracts, which limits their number of days they’re allowed to be with the Nuggets’ professional squad to just 45 days, while Lydon has no such limitations, since he signed a NBA rookie contract and not a two-way deal.
This is not a move to get Lydon minutes with the Nuggets, and seems like it is just precautionary to ensure he gets the correct treatment on his sprained ankle.
“We just wanted to get him back, have our guys look at him, get our hands on him, and help him get healthy as soon as possible,” Malone said.
