nba injury report

nba injury report

NBA Injury Report

1. Overview of NBA injuries

The 2017-2018 NBA season has seen more injuries that have impacted teams’ postseason plans than I can remember in recent years. From Opening Night until now, the league has seen stars like Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, and Isaiah Thomas miss all or most of the regular season. With the playoffs just a week away, let’s take a look at some of the most significant injuries impacting the playoffs. The most recent casualty is Steph Curry, who suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain on Friday, which will keep him sidelined at least until the start of the second round and likely longer. This is a big blow to the Warriors, who are currently without Klay Thompson (right thumb fracture) and Kevin Durant (fractured rib) and are just two games up on the 2-seed in the West. If the playoffs started today, Golden State would not have home court in the 2nd round. The Celtics are also limping into the playoffs. Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for 4-5 months after his second knee surgery in the last month. This means he is done for the season. Despite all of the injuries, Boston still sits at 2nd in the East but is just 2 games up on the 7th seed. The Spurs have had an injury-riddled season as Kawhi Leonard played in just 9 games. The saga concerning his quad injury never seemed to carry a definitive message, but just this week the Spurs shut down Leonard for an “indefinite period” to rehab the injury. There are even whispers that he may miss the entirety of the playoffs. This is a crushing blow for a San Antonio team that is clinging to the 5-seed in the West but still hoping to get its two-time DPOY back in the lineup.

2. Impact of injuries on teams and players

In 2019, Kevin Durant suffered an Achilles injury in the NBA finals, and Klay Thompson tore his ACL in game 6. As a result, the Warriors lost the NBA finals, and the following year they were the worst team in the league. These injuries to their star players resulted in a disastrous 2019-2020 season, and the Warriors were forced to rebuild.

When using the 2017-2018 Golden State Warriors as an example, there is a clear direct impact that injuries can have on your team. Through the years of 2015-2018, the Golden State Warriors were injury-free when it comes to their top four players. In 2015, they won the NBA championship. In 2016, they reached the finals and blew a 3-1 lead. In 2017, they won the championship. And in 2018, they won the championship again. These years were very prosperous times for the Warriors as they won 3 out of 4 championships, and many fans would argue that they had one of the best runs in NBA history.

Loss of key players to injury has a great impact on NBA teams, both in the short term and the long term. An injury can single-handedly change a team’s season. Injuries can turn playoff contention into position for the NBA draft lottery. Injuries can turn a season in which a team was expected to compete for a championship into a stepping stone season with a playoff birth and hopes for success in the following season. Injuries can also have a positive impact in the long term for teams, whether they are trying to clear cap space, looking to develop younger players, or attempting to rebuild through the NBA draft.

3. Rehabilitation and recovery process

Let’s start with an injury. Usually a team doctor makes an accurate or inaccurate diagnosis. Depending on the severity of the injury, many NBA teams will have one or several specialists (orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, massage therapists) evaluate the injury and recommend a course of treatment. The player is looking to receive the best care possible for his injury, but it is not uncommon to receive conflicting opinions on how to best manage an injury. This can be a frustrating situation and is known in the medical world as “paralysis by analysis”. The athlete is oftentimes left without clear direction and needs to take charge of his own medical care. The player would be wise to get multiple opinions himself and then make an informed decision. The bottom line is this: the more severe the injury, the more difficult the rehab process will be and the greater the impact it will have in terms of teaching the athlete about his own body.

Rehabilitation Process for the NBA

Returning an injured athlete back to the court is a field that the scope of has changed within the past 20 years and is continually growing. More and more, athletic organizations are spending millions of dollars on competitive salaries for their players. As a result, the players are requiring longer playing careers to fully maximize their financial potential. This dynamic has pros and cons, but for the injured athlete, chief among them is lots more time to rehab. High stakes pro sports and longer athlete careers have fostered the development of a new discipline that we call “sports rehabilitation”. Necessity is the mother of invention, and multi-million dollar athletes create a market of immense necessity. The rehab process needs to be the most effective way of getting the athlete back to full functional capacity.

4. Strategies to prevent injuries in the NBA

One strategy that has been considered to reduce the risk of injury to NBA players is shortening the NBA season. Currently, each team must play 82 games in the regular season, not including preseason or playoffs. This is far more games compared to other professional sports, and much more wear and tear is placed on the bodies of NBA players. By shortening the season, there would be a decrease in the number of games played and increased time for rest and recovery. Fewer games would also mean a decrease in travel, and many injuries can be attributed to the hectic travel schedule of NBA teams due to the current schedule format. This method of injury prevention would also have a positive impact on the performance and longevity of NBA players’ careers. Another way to prevent injuries to NBA players is based around how the injury itself is defined. Ever since the “Jordan rule,” named after Michael Jordan, an injury is only considered to be an injury if the player is forced to leave the game. Otherwise, an injury is only deemed a “hurt” by association. This has caused many players to make injury situations worse, due to the fear of losing their position on the team. This includes the case of all-star center for the LA Clippers, Chris Kaman, who was suffering from a case of bronchitis and forced to play in a game so he would not be suspended, causing him to injure his back and miss more playing time. If the classification of an injury was changed, players would not feel as pressured to play hurt. This would lead to better health of the players, and it would decrease the frequency of having players exacerbate an injury. An overall decrease in the number of injuries would promote better quality games and decrease the number of games without key players due to injury.

5. Importance of injury management in the NBA

Quality medical staff are important in the NBA for the overall success of a team. They need to understand the needs of basketball players and be able to relate to the sport. It is also important for NBA medical staff to understand the demands placed on players and how to rehabilitate them quickly and safely. Sometimes, medical staff are sent with players during the off-season to ensure proper rehabilitation. This is especially true for star players or those in need of constant rehabilitation, highlighting the importance of player health. One interesting aspect in the NBA is the salaries of medical staff. It has been recorded that an NBA team can spend up to $3 million on medical staff, which demonstrates the significance of rehabilitation in the league.