First Quarter Injury Report for the 2020-2021 NBA Season
- Post By: Jeff Stotts
- Date:
- Category: Injury Report, NBA
Following Memphis’ 16 point win over Charlotte on February 10, all 30 teams in the NBA had officially played 20 games each. This threshold serves as the unofficial quarter mark of an 82-game season and a good point of reference for comparing injury data and information from previous NBA seasons. Attempting a regular season during a global pandemic has presented unique challenges for the league and had a direct impact on the number of games lost to injury or illness.
Unsurprisingly, the total number of games lost to injury or illness is elevated with games lost to illness, particularly COVID-19, the primary culprit. The total number of games lost for illness-related issues during the first 20 games of the 2020-21 season is four less than the five previous seasons combines. Nearly 90 percent of these games can be attributed to NBA players that have confirmed a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Furthermore, these elevated totals do not include the over 150 games lost to players sitting out due to the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols.
Despite the increased totals of illness-related issues, the total number of games lost is not significantly higher than last year’s total. A noticeable reduction in bone-related injuries and a small dip in muscle-related totals have helped offset the spike caused by the coronavirus. While this improvement is encouraging in the short-term, it will be interesting to see if the trend continues as the season progresses. Maintaining player health and limiting soft tissue injuries could prove increasingly difficult with sports medicine staffs stretched thin managing the league’s COVID protocols.
The Pelicans, led by Vice President of Player Care & Performance Aaron Nelson, have been the healthiest team in the league with just 11 games lost to injury or illness. The Hornets, Bucks, Jazz, and Nuggets round out the top five teams in the league for fewest games lost. The Magic sit on the opposite end of the rankings with a league-worst 98 games lost. Orlando had two players, Jonathan Isaac and Al-Farouq Aminu, miss all 20 games and lost Markelle Fultz for the remainder of the year after he tore his ACL in the team’s 8th outing of the year. The Grizzlies, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Knicks join the Magic in the bottom tier of total games lost. New York was the only team among the bottom five to not have a player sit for all 20 of their respective team’s first 20 games. Of the 12 players to miss the entire first quarter only Aminu has since returned to NBA action.
While injury numbers have been elevated, the 2020-21 season has seen multiple players return from injury in spectacular fashion. Kevin Durant and John Wall have returned to form after Achilles tendon tears, seemingly reshaping expectations for the once devastating injury. Steph Curry, limited to five games last season due to a fractured 2ndmetacarpal in his hand, is putting up MVP-caliber numbers for the Warriors while Kyrie Irving has also bounced back from surgery to address an impingement in his shoulder.
The COVID-19 pandemic is influencing league injury rates, but the true impact won’t likely be known until the conclusion of the season. However, the early returns were marred by a predictable but sizeable increase in games lost to illness-related issues. There is a chance the NBA experiences a decrease in these numbers as COVID protocols tighten and the number of vaccine doses administered climbs. An improvement here could help the league’s overall numbers stabilize as soft tissue injuries traditionally increase as the season progresses. If not, these unprecedented times appear likely to produce unprecedented injury numbers.
