Vlatko Cancar to be evaluated in 8 weeks after undergoing knee surgery

Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar underwent arthroscopic surgery in his left knee and will be reevaluated in eight weeks, the team announced Wednesday.

Cancar, 27, missed the entire 2023-24 season with a torn ACL in his left knee. He returned from the injury this summer, playing for the Slovenian national team and then re-signing with the Nuggets on a one-year veteran minimum contract.

Cancar was in Denver’s rotation as a backup center, filling in while Nikola Jokic was away from the team, when he landed awkwardly after a driving dunk Nov. 19 in Memphis. Cancar immediately struggled to put weight on his left leg and asked for a substitution. At the time, the injury was designated as a sprained knee.

But in the days and weeks that followed, Cancar began to seek medical opinions on the best path forward, according to coach Michael Malone. Arthroscopic surgery is generally considered a less invasive form of procedure, one that doesn’t necessarily have to be season-ending for professional athletes.