Sixers' Nick Nurse was disappointed Johni Broome suffered knee injury

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse this week expressed his disappointment that rookie forward Johni Broome suffered a likely season-ending knee injury.

Broome sustained a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee on Feb. 21 while playing with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League. He finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in 23 minutes, 41 seconds during a home loss to the Maine Celtics.

The 35th overall pick is expected to undergo surgery soon to address the injury, which could sideline him for the remainder of the season. Nurse thought Broome had been playing and developing well with the Blue Coats before the injury.

"I think part of developing players sometimes is that some of these guys have to spend a full year in the G, and that is part of the development for some guys," Nurse said, via PHLY Sixers. "I think he has made some nice progress. I'm disappointed that this happened to him. I'm not sure it is going to end his season, but it is going to be pretty close, so that is disappointing because I thought he was playing pretty good down there and continued to improve."

Broome, signed to a two-way contract, has played sparingly with the Sixers, totaling 55 minutes across 11 appearances for Nurse. He has logged more than 10 minutes in a game once, recording four points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals on Nov. 25.

The 23-year-old is averaging 21.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.3% from the field in 26 games with the Blue Coats. He erupted for a G League-season-high 50 points, 17 rebounds and six assists on Jan. 16.

Broome and the organization will certainly hope for a quick recovery after suffering a setback on the court. He has had a productive year and will look to return to the court as soon as possible.

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Sixers news: Nick Nurse was disappointed Johni Broome suffered injury