Injuries have been a keystone problem for many teams within the NBA and how their season pans out. Some injuries are due to lack of players’ health in them taking care of their bodies and some injuries are situational.
What causes them
But there’s no doubt that these injuries can keep a team from winning a championship. Some injuries happen to key role players and some injuries happen to big-name superstars and in crucial moments like the playoffs these injuries can make or break someone’s season.
Looking at the NBA now we are experiencing early injuries for some teams like the Lakers and Clippers. They are missing key role players and superstars that will make their team so much better.
If we look at last year‘s playoff run in the eastern conference, some would say that the Nets got hit with the injury bugged by losing Khyrie and James Harden. Which to an extent that cost them their NBA season and lead the Bucks to a victory.
How it affects players
If we take a look at the Western Conference Anthony Davis and LeBron James being in and out of the lineup due to injuries stop them from having a good playoff run. As well as Kawhi Leonard getting hurt for the Clippers ending what could’ve been a great playoff run for them as well. We also saw Chris Paul in and out of the Phoenix Suns lineup because of his arm and shoulder injury.
However on the opposite side of injuries this allows many teams to have a next man up mentality. This allows other players to show their talents and show what they can bring to a team while the superstars or other role players are injured.
For example Terrence Mann showed the clippers that he was worth keeping and that his talent has a high ceiling. Another example is Kam Thomas, while the sample size is pretty small he has shown that he is not afraid of big moments and can score with the best of them.
However the actual player that gets injured gets the worst of the outcome. While being the player getting injured you also have to deal with rehab and getting back into basketball playing sheep and maintaining your Health and fitness while sacrificing your time with the team that you’re on and sacrificing the chemistry of what the basketball club could be.
On top of that there’s the mental and physical exhaustion, and in some cases the realization that you may not ever be the same player again after the injury is healed. Most of all the worst part about it is not being able to have fun playing a sport that you love.
Injuries have played this league and will continue to play this league due to its hand in hand partnership with a contact sport, and how uncertain and untimely they can be. However with the advancement in medicine and doctors NBA players have found that while injuries do take a toll they are likely to come back from that injury and still be the player that they want to be.
