Brooklyn Nets rising star Caris LeVert dodged a bullet when he went down with a horrible-looking injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves. LeVert actually thought that his injury was a “bad sprain” before looking at it.

Before the unfortunate injury, Caris LeVert was well on his way to a breakout season. He was the Nets' go-to guy with impressive averages of 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals. His usage rate of 26.5 percent is second behind point guard D'Angelo Russell, indicating how the Nets' offensive schemes centered around LeVert's abilities before he went down.

A strong early candidate for this year's Most Improved Player award, LeVert was outstanding to the point that head coach Kenny Atkinson believes he is the centerpiece of the franchise.

Via Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily:

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“He’s the heart and soul of our program,” said Atkinson. “I really feel for him, he’s had a fantastic start to the season, he’s obviously made a huge jump [this year].”

Luckily for Caris LeVert, his gruesome injury will not need any surgery. The 24-year-old forward sustained a dislocated right foot and will undergo rehabilitation for his recovery. He's expected to be back this season.

Despite a young and inexperienced roster, the Nets have been playing pretty well. With a 7-10 record, Brooklyn is ranked in the top 15 in points, rebounds, assists, and 3-point percentage.

The Nets will gun for their eighth win when they visit AmericanAirlines Arena to face the Miami Heat on Tuesday. It will be the first of a back-to-back schedule that will see Brooklyn go up against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.