First Quarter Injury Report for the 2014-15 NBA Season

• Post By: Jeff Stotts
• Date: December 15, 2014
• Category: Injury Report, NBA

Despite some noticeable injuries including Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Chicago’s Derrick Rose, the first quarter of the 2014-15 NBA season saw a dip in injury rates compared to last year’s record breaking numbers. The games lost to injury last season were the highest total since the league adopted the inactive list prior to the 2005-06 season. However through each team’s first 20 games, the league is on pace to finish this year’s season with nearly 500 fewer games lost.

The 30 teams combined to lose 1088 games to injury and illness with a collective cost just over $72 million in lost salary. The Memphis Grizzlies and the Brooklyn Nets tied for the fewest games lost to injury with just nine games forfeited. Memphis’ total is particularly impressive as a viral illness ravaged the team in in mid-November. The Clippers lost the fewest dollars to injury in the league, a sign that the first impact of the new ownership may be felt in the athletic training room. After years of being handcuffed by the frugal Donald Sterling, the medical staff received a boost from new owner Steve Ballmer in the form of biometric screening. It may be too early to tell if that’s the primary reason the majority of the Clippers rotation has avoided injury but the initial success appears promising.

The two teams most decimated by injury, the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, are in a bit of unfamiliar territory after years of good health. During the 2012-13 campaign the Thunder lost just 26 games to injury all season but has already quadrupled that total. Durant, along with Russell Westbrook, Perry Jones, Mitch McGary, and Grant Jerrett, all missed significant stretches to start the season with an assortment of injuries. Fortunately the team appears to have turned a corner and has been a full strength for five consecutive outings.

The Pacers knew they would struggle with injuries when Paul George fractured his leg but no one in the organization could have predicted the cascade of injuries that would follow. In addition to George, David West (sprained ankle), George Hill (quad tendon tear), and CJ Watson (foot contusion) all missed at least 15 games. Collectively the team has lost 88 games and $9.6 million in salary, totals higher than three of their last four seasons.

While the Pacers and Thunder have shown signs of improvement, the same can’t be said for the Lakers. The team has already lost three players to season-ending injuries, insuring a high injury total for the third straight season. Veteran point guard Steve Nash was ruled out for the year before the season even started and promising rookie Julius Randle fractured his leg in his professional debut. Xavier Henry joined the list when he ruptured his Achilles in practice. All three injuries were difficult to prevent but it’s worth wondering where the team would be if they had retained Alex McKechnie. McKechnie spent eight seasons as the team’s athletic performance coordinator and was lauded for his work with preventative care and movement integration. The Lakers opted not to renew his contract in the summer of 2011 and the team has since been decimated by injury. McKechnie has subsequently taken over as the Director of Sports Science for the Raptors and helped turn their medical staff into one of the most successful in the league.

League-wide lower extremity issues had the biggest impact, accounting for over 70 percent of the games lost. Injuries to the muscles of the legs, including the hamstrings, quadriceps, groin and calf, were the biggest issue with ankle sprains a close second. The number of injuries drops as you move up the body though five players have already been placed in the league-mandated concussion protocol.

12 players missed their team’s first 20 games nursing injuries. The list is comprised of Boston’s Vitor Faverani (knee), Detroit’s Jodie Meeks (back), Indiana’s Paul George (leg) and George Hill (quadriceps), Los Angeles’ Steve Nash (back), Milwaukee’s Damien Inglis (ankle) and Johnny O’Bryant (knee), New York’s Andrea Bargnani (leg), Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (foot) and Jason Richardson (knee and foot), San Antonio’s Patty Mills (shoulder), and Washington’s Martell Webster (back). Meeks and O’Bryant have since returned but the others remain on uncertain timetables.

The first quarter of the NBA season was one of the most compelling in recent memory. The Eastern Conference remains wide open while the competition in the West is fierce. As the league heads to the midway point of the season, the margin of error for teams remains minimal and medical staffs around the NBA will become an even more important part of keeping their franchise’s playoff aspirations afloat.