Reviewing the 2018-19 NBA Injury Totals
- Post By: Jeff Stotts
- Date:
- Category: NBA
The 2019-20 season is finally here though the consequences of multiple injuries sustained in the prior season will carry over into the new season. The total games lost to injury or illness surpassed 5,000 for the second consecutive season, though the did fall short of the record-breaking total amassed in the 2017-18 campaign. Sadly, serious injuries to All-Star players, including Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, ensure the new year will get off to a poor start and could prove costly.
The Portland Trailblazers led the league in fewest total games lost to injury, dropping just 62 games for the year. The final tally is particularly impressive considering 10 individual players missed more games than the entire Blazers medical team surrendered. A new-look Sacramento Kings medical and performance team thrived in their first full season together, finishing second in total games lost and first in salary dollars and minutes per game.
A trio of Eastern Conference teams rounded out the top-5 with the Charlotte Hornets finishing third in Joe Sharpe’s first season with team. The Celtics had a noticeable turnaround in overall team health, rebounding well from Gordon Hayward’s season-ending ankle fracture while the Indiana Pacers continued their recent success preventing and managing injuries.
A championship helped shine a well-deserved spotlight on the Toronto Raptors medical staff, a group that has routinely finished in the upper echelon of games lost to injury or illness. Balancing minor injuries to Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam with routine rest days for Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard helped propel the Raptors during an extended postseason run that ended with the franchise’s first title.
The Chicago Bulls finished the year with the most games lost to injury or illness. A lost season from Denzel Valentine cost the team 82 games while MCL sprains for Bobby Portis and Kris Dunn accounted for another 47 games lost.
The Nuggets finished with the highest total for games lost in the Western Conference, buoyed by assumed days lost. Denver knew players like Michael Porter Jr., Jarred Vanderbilt, and Isaiah Thomas would spend significant time in street clothes when they were acquired but the team trusted their in-house depth to keep them competitive. The plan worked with the Nuggets finishing near the top of the standings with Porter Jr. and Vanderbilt hoping to contribute in the season ahead.
League wide the number of games lost to bone-related injuries took a noticeable step back last year, dropping by 30 percent. Meanwhile, ankle sprains remain a particularly problematic though common injury, with over 200 individual sprains and 600 totals games lost reported last season.
Now a new season begins with the injuries to Durant, Thompson, Jusuf Nurkic, Victor Oladipo, and DeMarcus Cousins already slated to add sizeable totals to the ledger. Hopefully, increased awareness of issues linked to sleep, travel, diet, and other health-related variables will help medical staffs pinpoint potential problems and allow the league to further reduce the total games lost to injury or illness.
