After leaving behind several of the most unique seasons in history by format and context, the NBA has finally recovered its usual configuration in 2021/2022. However, what the league has not been able to leave behind have been the absences for physical reasons of its players. A new setback has been added to the usual mishaps this year: the sick leave period due to entering the health and safety protocol.
The wave of cases is now behind us and, in recent weeks, rules have been established to limit the time players are out. However, this factor has had a noticeable impact on the league, forcing teams to go overboard on 10-day contracts due to lack of resources. There have been several franchises that have had to postpone games for not having the minimum available players.
This circumstance has only added to the traditional injuries. Every season some franchise underperforms or has its chances of success frustrated. playoffs due to these adversities. This course has not been different, there are many teams that have had to adapt to this situation.
With the help of Spotrac I have accessed a database that shows the number of games that each player in the league has missed for different reasons. Thanks to this, it has been quantified which are the teams that have accumulated the most days off. But since quantity is not the same as quality – 10 days off for Westbrook do not mean the same thing as 10 days off for LeBron James – we have used statistics from Win Share of the injured in question, to estimate, subjectively, the Top 10 NBA teams that have failed to win the most due to injuries.
10. Chicago Bulls
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 222
We cannot speak of poor performance in the Bulls. They were the candidates for the revelation team and, for the moment, their season is not disappointing. However, it might even go better if they hadn’t suffered multiple and constant casualties. The setbacks of Lonzo Ball, Caruso, Derrick Jones or Coby White – all of them with 20 or more games out – have weighed down the team considerably.
In addition, it is worth mentioning the case of Patrick Williams. The second-year player, after an exciting first season, was injured in the fifth game. Taking the data from his first course we can deduce that the Bulls have lost only with his low 1.87 wins of Win Share.
9. Brooklyn Nets
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 157
It is true, in the Top 10 there could be franchises that accumulate more injury days for their players, but the quality of the Nets’ casualties is key. Without going any further, the almost 20 games that the team’s star, Kevin Durant, has missed for physical reasons could have meant more than one victory for the franchise. In addition, Harden, before leaving the ship, was also absent for nine games that could have improved the current Brooklyn record.
To the two great stars we must add the long-term loss of a resource that would also have been widely used, Joe Harris. The almost 20 of the veteran Aldridge and the 29 of Claxton have also had an influence. PS: It should be remembered that Kyrie Irving’s, although it is a significant loss in the vast majority of games, is not accounted for since his absence is due to personal reasons, not physical ones.
8. Indiana Pacers
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 217
The Pacers’ season is a far cry from what was expected of them earlier in the season. For weeks now, the team led by Rick Carlisle has moved away from the short term to focus on the medium term, proof of this was the transfer on the last day of the market. Part of the blame for this bad course has been the injuries. The losses of Brogdon and McConnell have been difficult to replace. Two of the team’s managers have been unavailable for more than half of the team’s games.
Especially flagrant is the injury to an important player who was in full swing before the start of his ordeal: TJ Warren, who has missed every game of the season. Only with the loss of him – taking the statistics of his last complete season – we can deduce that the Pacers have stopped adding a 5.72 of Win Share. On a smaller scale, the 15 and 17 games Caris LeVert and Myles Turner have missed have also played a role.
7. Los Angeles Lakers
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 189
They have fewer accumulated days than their predecessors but, if we put the weight of their casualties on the scale, they are enough to reach this seventh place. To a lesser extent, the Lakers have been without two players like Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza in more than half of their games. But, what was especially hurtful for the Angelenos have been the casualties of Anthony Davis (more than 20 games) and LeBron James (16) for physical reasons.
Only in those 16 games that LeBron James has not been present, using his numbers from this course, the Lakers have stopped adding 2.4 in Win Share to which to increase another 2.63 of this same data corresponding to the 21 games that Davis has missed. It does not mean that with them healthy the season would have been as expected, but they would have saved themselves some disappointment.
6. Golden State Warriors
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 189
After several seasons at the top of the list, it seems that this year the Warriors are regaining strength, although they are not without renowned casualties. The recovery of one of its most important assets, Klay Thompson, has been long in coming and the Splash Brother He has missed 42 games this season. The more than 20 games out between Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green have also been able to disrupt the trajectory of the team from the bay.
If we talk about prolonged casualties we have to mention James Wiseman. After a first year in which he went from less to more, the center has paused his progression due to a knee surgery that has not allowed him to debut. Despite having a great season, the Warriors could be closer to that leadership that the Suns hold if they hadn’t had so many physical mishaps.
5. Miami Heat
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 208
Another of the teams that is having a remarkable season. However, the course of the Florida could be even better if they had not gone through so many misfortunes. Players as important as Jimmy Butler or Tyler Herro have been between 10 and 20 games apart. Meanwhile, others like Bam Adebayo and Markieff Morris were absent for more than 25 games each.
To these important physical setbacks we must add the Victor Oladipo case. It is true that it is a loss that they have dragged on since last season, but it is still one less resource to use. Despite this, not everything is bad news since his return to the slopes seems closer every day.
4. Milwaukee Bucks
Accumulated days off due to injury by its players: 214
We can say that the champions are paying the price for the intensity shown last season. The first to fall was one of its pillars: Brook López, who is out indefinitely and has only been able to play one game. But, to continue with the bleeding, up to six players have lost 10 or more games for physical reasons. Among them, some of the most important of the team like Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Middleton or George Hill.
The current record of the Bucks is not bad at all, it helps them to be comfortably among the first in the Eastern Conference. However, they are not as effective as last year and are only three more losses away from reaching the 2020-2021 tally (26). If they had kept their stars healthy on a consistent basis we could talk of a top spot in the East all but assured at this point in the season.
3. Orlando Magic
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 357
The Magic are the team in the league that has accumulated the most days off due to injury among all its players. Up to four of its troops suffer long-term injuries: Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, Michael Carter Williams and, the already cut, E’Twaun Moore. More than 200 injury games accumulated between these four players alone, to which must be added the more than 20 absence games of his rookie, Jalen Suggs.
This does not mean that if they were all healthy their position in the classification would be very different, it is not that the ceiling of the team was very high. What seems certain is that they could add more than the 13 victories they currently accumulate and, at least, lay the foundations for a project that, today, is not even visible.
2. Denver Nuggets
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 222
Whichever way you look at it, the Nuggets’ season is more than worthwhile considering the physical problems of several of their most important players. Those from Colorado continue to unload the full weight of the team on Nikola Jokic after his two main companions, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., have not played for practically the entire course.
Porter Jr. played nine games before having surgery on his back. His return is expected in playoffs but, based on his data from last season, when he was still healthy, we can deduce that the Nuggets have stopped adding 5.43 units of Win Share. Meanwhile, Jamal Murray has not yet played a game and is finishing his recovery process. Following the same process, the Nuggets have missed another 5 Win Share. It would not be strange to see the Nuggets with other ambitions to be able to count on all their resources.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
Days off due to injury accumulated by its players: 257
Due to the number of days injured and the quality of the absent players, we could be talking about the most affected team. The Clippers have been competing all season without their big star and more than half without their other stronghold, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The former Spurs and Raptors player could play again in the final stretch of the season, while George is scheduled to return in March.
Following the previous example, if we use the data of Leonard in his first experience with the Clippers, we could estimate that the Angelenos have stopped adding 10.6 units of Win Share not being able to count on their leader. A real sangria. Meanwhile, in the 33 games that George has missed this season, taking his stats from this year, the Clippers would stop adding 1.02 units of Win Share. It seems obvious that, if they had their two stars, the Clippers would be sitting in positions of playoffs and not in full fight for the play-in.
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
