Denver Nuggets power forward Paul Millsap finally had surgery done on his troublesome left wrist Sunday and will be out for an estimated time of three months, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports has reported.

Millsap initially was not inclined to go under the knife, as the Nuggets were then still exploring non-surgical options, but upon further deliberation, arrived at a final decision to go on the operating table to fix a torn ligament in his wrist.

According to his timetable of recovery, Millsap won’t return to action until next year or sometime around March. The 32-year-old forward has averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in the 16 games he’s played this season.

Paul Millsap’s absence robs fans of seeing more of Millsap and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic punish opposing teams inside the paint. Denver is third in the league in scoring in the shaded area with 49.9 points per game.

While Millsap spends time on the sidelines, the Nuggets will give Kenneth Faried a spot in the starting unit.

Faried has made two starts since Millsap’s injury, including in last Friday’s 104-92 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies in which he scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a season-high 31 minutes.

If Faried could come close to those numbers consistently, the Nuggets are going to weather Paul Millsap’s absence better than expected.

Apart from Faried, the pair of Trey Lyles and Juan Hernangomez are also going to get a nice bump in minutes to help mitigate the impact of Millsap’s absence.