Brooklyn Nets forward Rodions Kurucs was arrested Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News. Kurucs, entering his second year in the NBA, allegedly choked his girlfriend in his Carroll Gardens apartment in Brooklyn on June 27. Trevor Boyer and Graham Rayman of the Daily News described the alleged incident as follows:
“Kurucs allegedly screamed, “I am going to kill myself!” He put his hand around the woman’s throat and choked her, then forced her to march to his bed.
He pushed her on the bed, slapped her in the face twice, bit her lip and then picked her up and tossed her on the bed hard enough to hurt her ribs, the sources said.”
During the arraignment, Judge Gina Abadi also issued an order of protection and told Kurucs to stay away from the woman. He was released without bail and is due back in court on Oct. 21, according to the Daily News.
The NBA’s policy on domestic violence does not set hard and fast guidelines for discipline based on the specifics of the offense or offender. The last three players suspended for domestic violence were Darren Collison, Willie Reed and Jeffrey Taylor. Collison was suspended eight games, Reed six games and Taylor 24 games. The league can investigate the matter itself or bring in a third party to do so, but it has not made any announcement at this point.
Kurucs is coming off of a strong rookie season for the Nets. The No. 40 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Kurucs managed to start 46 of the 63 games in which he played. He averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in that role. He was expected to go to the bench this season after the Nets revamped their roster in free agency, but with two years left on his rookie deal he projected as a valuable reserve on a team strapped for cash moving forward.
This is just the latest off-court incident to jeopardize Brooklyn’s season. Veteran forward Wilson Chandler was suspended for the first 25 games of the season after violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. With Kevin Durant expected to miss the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, any discipline to Kurucs would leave the Nets dangerously thin at forward with the season fast approaching.
