DETROIT — The Nets could be sans three starters for Wednesday’s season opener in Detroit — including DeMarre Carroll, who, in surprise news, underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his right ankle.

Opening the season with injury misery is a Nets thing, from Greivis Vasquez’s atrophied ankle lasting just 39 minutes two seasons ago before his contract was bought out, to Jeremy Lin suffering a season-ending ruptured patellar tendon on opening night last year. The Nets can only hope Carroll’s woes aren’t as catastrophic.

Starting wing Allen Crabbe’s own ankle injury has him ruled out against the Pistons, and backup guard Shabazz Napier also is hamstrung. In addition, starting power forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s availability is in doubt with an adductor injury, his status to be reevaluated after Wednesday morning’s shoot-around.

But it’s Carroll, 32, who promises to be the most worrying. He was not only the team’s third-leading scorer (13.5 points) and second-leading rebounder (6.6 boards), but the grownup in the room and veteran leader.

He underwent successful right ankle arthroscopy Tuesday, the team said. The procedure was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at Manhattan’s Hospital for Special Surgery. There was no timetable on his return.

“DeMarre was having some ankle issues. It’s been determined that he’s going to have a procedure,” coach Kenny Atkinson had said earlier Tuesday. “I’m not going to give you a timetable on what that looks like, but he’s having a procedure.

“I don’t think it’s a huge thing. It was something where we could go back and forth or get this thing cleaned up and get him feeling 100 percent. So it is what it is. I think we have a deeper roster this year. I think we can cover during his absence. Not great news for DeMarre or us, but we’ve got to push forward.”

Carroll had been nursing the injury through preseason, averaging 4.5 points on 20.0 percent shooting — 0-for-9 from deep — before getting shut down the last two games.

“It’s back and forth. It was bothering him a little and he practiced a little and felt good. Then yesterday he didn’t feel right and went and got an MRI,” said Atkinson. “Again, it was one of those things: Do I keep going back and forth, or do I take care of this right now and get the procedure done? And we determined that collectively with him and our medical team. Best course of action, we think.”

Brooklyn went from having a logjam — Carroll, Crabbe, Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert for three spots — to having to mix and match.

The Nets were 24-35 last season when Hollis-Jefferson started, but just 4-19 when he didn’t. If he can’t start Wednesday against the Pistons, Jared Dudley is an option as a stretch-four, with both Treveon Graham and Rodions Kurucs also picking up minutes at the forward spots.

“Rondae is to be determined,” said Atkinson. “We’re going to give him a last run (Wednesday) morning and see what that looks like, so I’m not going to make a determination on that.

“(It) definitely opens up some spots — Jared Dudley, obviously. Rodi has played that four position and has played well. TG — Treveon Graham has done an excellent job also at the three and the four. We’ll just have to cover that collectively. We could also go big. We could play Jarrett (Allen) and Ed Davis or something like that. So we’ll mix and match and we’ll cover it up.”

Two years ago, the Nets bench logged the second-most minutes but had the third-worst scoring margin (minus-178). Last season the bench was third in minutes, but second-worst in margin (minus-182). The team’s supposed improvements will get tested early.

“We were battling injuries all preseason,” said D’Angelo Russell. “It forces guys to step up, and we’ve got the pieces to do that as well. Our bench is kind of deep this year. … We’ve got multiple guys that do different things, bring different things to the table. We have the pieces, so I’m excited.”

Said Atkinson: “I do think we have a deeper team this year. We have guys who can cover for other guys. That’s really what a team is about.”