The 2019-20 NBA season is in full swing, but injuries to star and role players alike temper excitement somewhat.
Steph Curry unleashed, Zion Williamson taking the league by storm, the bounce-back of Gordan Hayward, Paul George and the Clippers owning the West… these are a few of the things that the NBA regular season is missing right now due to unfortunate injuries.
Despite already taking multiple “rest” days, Kawhi Leonard and his Clippers still look solid, though we have not gotten to see their potential as a juggernaut on both ends due to Paul George’s shoulder injury ahead of this season. At least PG13 is expected back tomorrow, though we will still have to wait a bit longer for another preseason injury to heal…
Zion Williamson has been a threat to his own knees for years already. Being 280lbs or so is one thing, but when you are propelling that weight higher than a human can typically go and falling just as far back to Earth each time, damage can be done. That’s what happened during the preseason, causing the exciting rookie to be sidelined until approximately December 9th. Zion should start watching the tape of the evolution of Blake Griffin now.
Many other injuries came further out even, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Rajon Rondo, Andre Iguodala, and Andre Roberson still having yet to make a return. Rondo and Roberson are expected back soon (though OKC fans have been given no reason for optimism in the past) and Iguodala and Oladipo will still be out until December. The others may not make the regular season.
The mid-season injuries are the most jarring, as they are unexpected and we already got to see flashes of potential from many of those affected. In his Boston Celtics debut two seasons ago, Gordan Hayward broke his leg badly on the nationally televised NBA tipoff. He missed that season before returning last year only to look fearful to jump and make explosive motions.
This year, Hayward seemed to have returned to his All-Star form, scoring, rebounding, and defending at an elite level. The NBA world was saddened when he broke his hand last week, though he is only expected to miss six weeks. Hopefully, he can pick right back up where he left off.
One of the only bright spots in the Warriors’ young season was a broken hand of their own, only because it was the non-shooting hand of future hall-of-famer, Steph Curry. Curry’s hand was flattened beneath a crashing seven-footer and his injury is expected to need three months to heal. Curry is hopeful to beat that timeline, but Golden State is nowhere near contention with their stars hurt and depth exposed.
We did finally see Blake Griffin return last night from the injury he fought through in last year’s playoffs. He had a nice line, though he did appear winded. Unfortunately, the Pistons have since lost Reggie Jackson to injury, though Derrick Rose is scorching earth in his place. The Blazers’ bigs have been hit hard with lengthy absences expected following injuries to both Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins.
Nagging injuries abound as they always do, but unfortunately, the big ones do not stop with the above. The Milwaukee Bucks second-fiddle, All-Star Kris Middleton suffered a quad injury that is expected to sideline him through at least early December.
De’Aaron Fox of the Kings recently suffered an ankle injury expected to sideline him until mid-December. Sacramento already had Marvin Bagley III sitting for a month with a fractured finger. The defending champion Raptors will have to go a week or two without Kyle Lowry (thumb) and Serge Ibaka (ankle).
You’ve read this far!? That means you now fully grasp how bad the injuries have been to start the 2019-20 season. There have been other great storylines as well, with the Raptors’ Pascal Siakam angling towards a second consecutive Most Improved Player award, the battle for LA in full swing, and the Westbrook/Harden tandem actually working.
Hopefully, the injuries clear up a bit soon and we can see the greatest teams in the world back at full strength. Keep checking back here for more updates from Around the NBA!