Wednesday was a tough day for the NBA with the announcement that Kawhi Leonard would miss game five of the Clippers second round series against the Utah Jazz with a right knee sprain. According to the team, “there is no timetable for his return.”
The league has dealt with a rash of injuries this postseason, after a regular season that saw more injuries than usual.
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, “The 27 players who were named All-Stars this season missed an average of 13.7 games through injury or rest during the regular season, resulting in the highest percentage of missed games for All-Stars in league history at 19 percent, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.”
This past Sunday, Nets point guard Kyrie Irving became the seventh All-Star — Leonard makes eight — to miss a playoff game this postseason. According to Kirk Goldsberry of ESPN, it’s the most in NBA history.
Kyrie Irving will be the 7th different All-Star to miss a playoff game this year, the most in a season in NBA history.
He joins a list that already includes Anthony Davis, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/YgatlyMONX
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) June 14, 2021
It’s a major concern for the league, as the NBA is more dependent on its superstars to generate ratings than any other major sports league. As the NBA Finals rapidly approach, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the NBA champion will be decided by injuries, and who is able to avoid them.
The uptick in injuries comes after the shortest offseason in NBA history — 71 days —after the conclusion of the NBA bubble in Orlando didn’t come until October. The NBA and the players union agreed to start the season right before Christmas — much to the dismay of many prominent players — in hopes of making up for revenue lost during the pandemic.
All this leads up to the “King” himself — LeBron James.
James made it known early on that he was against the shortened offseason and condensed season.
“I was like, ‘Wow.’ And I said, ‘Oh, s***,’” James said on December 7. “Just being completely honest, I wasn’t expecting that because early conversations were going on and I was hearing that there would be kind of a mid-January start and training camp would kind of start after Christmas.”
After the announcement of Leonard’s injury, James wants the world to know he was right all along.
On Wednesday, James posted his thoughts on Twitter:
They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season. I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME! These injuries isn’t just “PART OF THE GAME”. It’s the lack of PURE RIM REST rest before starting back up. 8, possibly 9 ALL-STARS has missed Playoff games(most in league history). This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane. If there’s one person that know about the body and how it works all year round it’s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now.
RIM REST rest before starting back up. 8, possibly 9 ALL-STARS has missed Playoff games(most in league history). This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane. If there’s one person that know about the body and how it
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
According to Bleacher Report, David Weiss of the NBA disagrees with the narrative that injuries have increased because of the shortened offseason.
Injuries rates this season were virtually the same as last season, and any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate. The number of serious injuries was lower this season than last season. Although more players this season missed a single game because of an injury or rest, injuries resulting in many games missed were in line with normal historical trends. To operate this season safely in a pandemic has been physically and mentally challenging for everyone involved, and players and teams have risen to the challenge and avoided an increase in serious injuries.
It’s hard to say whether the quick turnaround has been the reason for the uptick in injuries. Irving landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot in a freak injury, and Leonard was bumped on a fast break, causing his knee to buckle. Those injuries occur frequently in basketball, regardless of the amount of time taken for rest.
Whatever the reason for the increase in injuries during the regular season and the playoffs, one thing is clear — the NBA playoffs are not as entertaining without the stars in it.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Source: Dailywire
