Noah Clowney's Back Injury Shouldn't Scare People About his Future

Injuries have bogged down a struggling Brooklyn Nets team in the new year. Someone who wasn't affected by the injury bug until recently is Noah Clowney.

He's missing his fourth straight game –– previously playing in every game this season –– with a back injury. The injury was recently upgraded from soreness to a sprain, and there is no timeline for a potential return.

Clowney is a player who has been held back by injuries during his three-year career. He only played 23 games in his rookie season and then 46 games in his sophomore season. The reason why Nets fans shouldn't be worried about Clowney being a perennial injury magnet is that, before this back issue, he was at 43 games played this season.

A plausible reason for his injury issues early on in his career was due to his light weight. Clowney reportedly added 25 pounds to his frame this past offseason, and the stats speak for themselves.

With the added muscle, he has already almost surpassed the most games he's ever played in a season. Clowney has also elevated his scoring, rebounding, assist and defensive numbers to career-highs.

His back injury doesn't appear to be too serious, meaning he should be back on the court in February. Clowney had no reported injuries this season until a back injury was reported on Dec. 5, which he played through. This is a stark difference compared to the amount of injuries he's incurred in previous seasons.

Multiple ankle injuries last season left Clowney sidelined for a significant time period, and multiple upper-body injuries cut his rookie season short.

The added muscle has clearly helped him avoid injuries for the majority of this season, and it's not for a lack of physical play. Clowney has taken more two-point attempts per game than he ever has in the league while also increasing his drives per game.

A good example of a player fighting through back pain throughout their NBA career and coming out the other side better is in his teammate, Michael Porter Jr. He had three separate back surgeries during his college and NBA career. Even though Clowney's back injury is likely nowhere near the severity that Porter Jr.'s was, he's still a good resource to have as he goes through this process.

Clowney doesn't need to put on anymore weight –– he's still remained athletic and kept injuries at bay –– but he could learn more about recovery from Porter Jr. to return stronger from his back injury.