Over four months after the COVID-9 pandemic forced the league into hiatus, the NBA is set to return July 30 with 22 teams taking the court in Orlando, Florida. The virus has forced some players off the court and out of the restart while the extended break has allowed other injured players additional time to recuperate, paving the way for them to return as contributors. Inspired by the Lowe Post podcast series “So, Where in the Hell Were We? from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, InStreetClothes.com will do a team-by-team look in a series we are calling “So, Where in the Health Were We?.” We previewed the Eastern Conference here and now we shift our focus to the West.
Los Angeles Lakers
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 2
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 1
The top-seeded Lakers were near full strength when the league went into hiatus. Guard Alex Caruso was nursing a mild hand injury while center Dwight Howard had missed time with a stomach illness. Unfortunately, their relatively clean bill of health went out the window during one of the team’s first practices in Orlando when point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a broken thumb. The fracture required surgery to mend and Rondo is expected to miss at least six weeks recovering. The injury is interesting as Rondo has a long history of hand problems, including fractures of his left 5th metacarpal & his right thumb & 3rd metacarpal. He also suffered a non-displaced volar plate avulsion fracture of his right ring finger earlier this year. Rondo’s injury is particularly problematic after Avery Bradley opted out of the restart. Still the Lakers still have a healthy Anthony Davis and fully rested and ready LeBron James. As a result, they remain a title favorite even if they have to lean more heavily on recently added reserves Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith.
Los Angeles Clippers
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 1
Los Angeles’ other team had hit their stride in the weeks before March 11, winning seven of eight games. Like the Lakers, the collective health of the Clippers was good even with some mild calf soreness keeping Lou Williams on the sidelines for one game. Williams is healthy and with the team in Orlando, despite some early reservations about the NBA Bubble. The team remains tight-lipped regarding the overall health of Kawhi Leonard and how they will manage his minutes until the postseason. Fortunately, teammate Paul George say he’s no longer the effects of his two shoulder surgeries and is ready for a deep postseason run. Reserve Landry Shamet did not join the team initially after testing positive for COVID-19. Look for the Clippers to lean heavily on their bench during the seeding games with the team firmly affixed into the second seed.
Denver Nuggets
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 2
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 1
The Nuggets enter the bubble as the third seed but may be hard-pressed to stay there. The only injuries at the time of the league suspension belonged to two-way players and fringe rotation players. That all changed during the time off as Nikola Jokic tested positive for COVID-19, an incident that barely managed to overshadow the center’s noticeable weight loss. Several Nuggets players remain outside the bubble, including Michael Porter Jr. and Monte Morris, while guard Torrey Craig and Gary Harris arrived just this week. The layoff did benefit rookie Bol Bol who had been gradually working his way back from surgery to repair a navicular fracture had been an active participant during practices in Orlando. He might not be ready to join the playoff rotation but he has impressed the coaching staff with his play. With seeding games set to start this week, the Nuggets will need to work quickly to get everyone up to speed if they want to stay directly behind the LA franchises in the standings.
Utah Jazz
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 2
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 3
Rudy Gobert and the Jazz were at the center of the NBA’s initial COVID-19 wave when the league was suspended on March 10. Gobert and teammate Donovan Mitchell both tested positive for the coronavirus while Emmanuel Mudiay was eventually cleared. Both players have recovered, though Gobert recently admitted he is still took having issues with his sense of smell. The biggest injury news for Utah was not related to COVID as Bojan Bogdanovic underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist. The loss is significant as Bogdanovic was averaging 20.2 points per game while shooting 41.4% from behind the arc. He was a team best +6.0 points per 100 possession according to Cleaning The Glass and a key member of their top six 5-man units. Utah is unlikely to replace Bogdanovic’s productivity with one player but will instead lean on a committee of Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, and Georges Niang. A reemergence from NBA HORSE champion Mike Conley would also significantly help and prevent the Jazz from a potential first round exit.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 0
Two young Thunder players were nursing injuries when their game against the Jazz was canceled on March 11. Darius Bazley had missed eight straight games with a bone contusion on his knee while a hip contusion had forced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to miss his first game of the season. Since that fateful night in March the Thunder have been able to rest and recuperate and hope to start the seeding games at full strength. Those plans include veteran Andre Roberson who has not appeared in a NBA game since January 27, 2018. Roberson initially suffered a torn patellar tendon but has suffered multiple setbacks, including an avulsion fracture in the area, and undergone at least two additional surgeries. It’s uncertain if Roberson will play meaningful minutes for a team that has been one of the surprises of the season but he could provide some versatility on the defensive end. Reserve big man Nerlens Noel tweaked an ankle during a recent practice but is considered day-to-day.
Houston Rockets
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 1
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 2
Since trading center Clint Capela to the Hawks on February 5, the play of the small-ball Rockets had been running hot and cold. A six-game winning streak that featured wins over the Jazz and Celtics (twice) was followed by a four-game losing streak that included losses to the Knicks and Hornets. The team’s overall health was good even though guard Eric Gordon remained a bit slowed by a knee debridement in December. The break proved beneficial for Gordon though the same can’t be said for the rest of the Houston backcourt. Russell Westbrook entry to the bubble was delayed following a COVID-19 diagnosis and James Harden was also a late arrival due to a non-health-related issue. The Rockets also deliberately opted to raise their injury profile when they signed swingman David Nwaba to a two-year deal despite the fact that he tore his Achilles in December. Still the Rockets remain a dangerous threat with an engaged Westbrook and Harden and will look to move up in the crowded Western Conference.
Dallas Mavericks
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 1
The Mavs were on their way to ending their brief playoff drought when the league was suspended while they were finishing up a win over the Nuggets. Second-year star Luka Doncic was playing at an elite level despite thumb and ankle injuries while center Kristaps Porzingis had shown flashes of the player he was before his 2018 torn ACL. While Dallas’ dynamic duo was able to play through their minor issues, two key members of the rotation were sidelined with significant injuries. Big man Dwight Powell tore his Achilles in late January and guard Jalen Brunson tore the labrum in his shoulder a month later. Brunson underwent surgery during the break and did not travel with the team to Orlando. Powell did opt to enter the bubble but will not return this season. Veteran guard Courtney Lee is also out after suffering a calf injury during the hiatus. The team was able to sign Trey Burke to help bolster their backcourt depth after center Willie Cauley-Stein opted out of the restart. Still the time off should prove beneficial for Doncic and Porzingis and allow the Mavs a chance to make some noise in Orlando.
Memphis Grizzlies
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 6
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 0
When last we saw the Grizzlies they were clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, largely in part to the play of Rooke of the Year favorite Ja Morant. Morant’s dynamic play helped offset a flurry of injuries including a knee sprain that kept Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined for Memphis’ last nine outings. The team had also upped their injury profile in the weeks leading into the shutdown by trading for an injured Justise Winslow and signing Jontay Porter. The forced time off proved valuable as all Grizzlies players were able to travel to Orlando, though a recent setback will prevent everyone from playing when actual games start. Winslow suffered a contact hip injury in a recent practice and will not play during the restart. Still, a healthy Morant and Jackson should keep the Grizzlies as the favorite for the eighth seed and the winner of a potential play-in matchup.
Portland Trail Blazers
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 0
The Blazers know they face an uphill battle to qualify for the postseason but a frontcourt that benefited from extra recovery time may prove invaluable in their pursuit. When league play was suspended Portland big men Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins remained sidelined by injury. Nurkic’s return from his gruesome leg fracture had been slowed by a calf strain while Collins continued to rehab his surgically-repaired shoulder. Now both players are set to take the court when play resumes at Disney, giving coach Terry Stotts plenty of options to pair with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Veteran Trevor Ariza did understandably opt out of the bubble to commit to a one month visitation with his son, though a svelte Carmelo Anthony may be able to help shoulder the load at the 3 spot.
New Orleans Pelicans
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 0
The start of New Orleans’ 2019-20 season was weighted down by injury after rookie phenom Zion Williamson tore his lateral meniscus and missed the team’s first 44 games. While Williamson was out, the team’s new medical staff managed several minor soft tissues including a groin strain for Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday’s triceps strain. At the time of the shutdown three Pelicans players, JJ Redick (hamstring), Darius Miller (Achilles), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (wrist) were all sidelined with injuries. Of the trio only Miller has not been cleared for bubble play and New Orleans has their sights set on reeling in the Grizzlies. Unfortunately, Williamson was forced to depart the bubble due to a family medical emergency and a possible return date remains unknown. He will be subject to quarantine when he is able to return and may not be available when the seeding games begin.
Sacramento Kings
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 4
The Kings have not qualified for the postseason since 2005 and it appears this season will only extend that streak. Injuries to their young stars hurt Sacramento during the first half of the year when Marvin Bagley fractured his thumb on Opening Night and De’Aaron Fox missed 17 games with a Grade 3 ankle sprain. Fox returned to form but Bagley’s injury woes continued in the form of a left midfoot sprain that cost him a total of 29 games played. While these injuries benefited from the hiatus, both players suffered injuries once they reached the Orlando campus. Fox’s recent ankle sprain is less severe and shouldn’t impact his availability for the seeding games. Bagley wasn’t quite as lucky as a lateral sprain of the opposite foot will end his season. The loss of Bagley is compounded by the absence of Harrison Barnes, who continues to navigate the return to play protocol after testing positive for COVID-19. Barnes wasn’t the only King to contract the virus with Alex Len, Buddy Hield, and Jabari Parker all testing positive.
San Antonio Spurs
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 3
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 1
The last time San Antonio missed the playoffs Anaconda was the top movie at the box office and Dejounte Murray was just seven months old. Now with their postseason streak on the line, the Spurs will have to compete without the services of their second-leading scorer after forward LaMarcus Aldridge underwent an arthroscopic subacromial decompression and rotator cuff debridement on his right shoulder. The procedure is used to alleviate symptoms associated with an impingement of the rotator cuff where the tendons of the muscle group enter the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder. The surgeon will debride, or remove, any irritating bone or scar tissue to create more space within the area. Aldridge should be fine for the 2020-21 season but will not play in Orlando. San Antonio’s depth took another hit when Trey Lyles needed an appendectomy shortly after entering the bubble. Jakob Poeltl, fully recovered from a MCL sprain, and newly acquired Tyler Zeller will be tasked with filling the void left by injury. It appears as though any possible push for the playoffs will depend on San Antonio’s backcourt of Murry, Derrick White, and DeMar DeRozan.
Phoenix Suns
Open Injuries at the Start of the Pandemic: 4
Injuries Added During the Hiatus: 0
The Suns know they were the last team to make the cut for Orlando but hope a strong showing can help build some momentum for their young nucleus. The team’s medical staff was able to successfully navigate the rehab and recovery for multiple players, including Deandre Ayton. The Suns big man suffered an ankle injury that included a bone bruise but is now healthy and ready to go for the restart. The only real question mark regarding health remains the availability of swingman Kelly Oubre who continues to works his way back from a meniscus injury suffered in late February. Several Suns players including Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes did not travel with the team on the initial trip to Orlando, though Rubio was able to rejoin his teammates Tuesday.