Phoenix Suns

After Dario Saric’s ACL tear in the finals resulted in an elevated injury total for the 2021-22 season, the Suns medical team bounced back last season. Their total games lost to injury improved by over 100 games despite a meniscus tear for Cam Johnson to start the season. The midseason trade for Kevin Durant also hurt their bottom-line as KD was still recovering from a MCL sprain when he was acquired. He then sprained his ankle in pre-game warmups, delaying his Suns home debut by 10 games.

Phoenix continued their aggressive approach to team building in the offseason, acquiring Bradley Beal in a multi-team deal. While Phoenix assumed a degree of injury risk by trading for the often-injured Beal, they managed to shed two players who have also shown a proclivity for injury in Chris Paul and Landry Shamet. Vice President of Health and Performance Brady Howe and Head Athletic Trainer David Crewe have a track record of success having finished as a top-3 staff just two years ago. They will now be tasked with managing the health of their talented trio and a cast of players that includes veterans Eric Gordon and Jusuf Nurkic. The unproven depth already took a hit after Damion Lee tore a meniscus during an offseason workout.