5 most injury-prone NBA players in the 2020-21 season
The 2020-21 NBA season has been quite demanding on the physique of some of the best players in the league. With teams playing every other day in the current 72-game regular season, we have seen several superstars like Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis missing practically half of the NBA campaign. Even the NBA's most durable player, LeBron James, has missed notable playing time with ankle-related issues.
New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson is the latest star to suffer an injury, as he is out indefinitely with a fractured left ring finger. He joins a long list of NBA stars who are currently out with injuries, including LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Gordon Hayward, Kristaps Porzingis, Jamal Murray and others.
Players who are prone to injury in the 2020-21 NBA season
In this article, we will list five NBA players who have not been able to consistently play this season due to injuries.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson arguably lost the Rookie of the Year award in his first NBA season due to injuries. He played only 24 games in the 2019-20 NBA season and missed the first 44 games of the year.
The 20-year-old recently suffered a fractured finger and is out indefinitely for the 2020-21 NBA season, with his New Orleans Pelicans having six games remaining in the year.
Williamson has enjoyed a great season individually but has suffered minor toe and thumb injuries. He will now miss the final, decisive stretch of the current NBA campaign due to another injury.
#4 Anthony Davis
The LA Lakers' quest for back-to-back NBA championships has become extremely difficult as they have endured injuries to a number of their key players. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis suffered injuries that have kept them off the court for 20 and 30 games, respectively.
Anthony Davis did not start the season in the best shape and had to manage some physical difficulties earlier in the year. He was often on the LA Lakers' injury report for several reasons, including calf, adductor, heel, ankle and other minor issues.
On February 14th, Davis aggravated his Achilles tendinosis and suffered a right calf strain that forced him to stay off the court for 30 games. He returned on April 22nd and has played in eight games since.
However, in the most recent game, Davis played only nine minutes before seemingly suffering an ankle strain. The team later announced that he did not return to the game due to back spasms.
#3 Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo started the 2020-21 NBA season with the Indiana Pacers. He then went to the Houston Rockets and is now a member of the Miami Heat.
Despite a turbulent campaign, the worst part of Oladipo's season has been the injuries he has suffered. He has appeared in 33 games for the three aforementioned teams this year and has missed the same amount due to quad, foot and knee injuries as well as an illness.
The best streak of consecutive games played by Oladipo this year is seven, and it happened between December 29th, 2020, and January 11th, 2021.
Oladipo has missed the Miami Heat's last 14 games due to a knee injury.
#2 Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis was absent from the Dallas Mavericks team at the start of the 2020-21 NBA season as he was recovering from a knee injury that he suffered in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
Though he has played 40 games this season, Porzingis has been hit with minor injuries since returning to basketball action on January 13th.
In February, he missed three consecutive games with a back injury. He also missed several games due to injury management and recovery. Minor injuries, such as a wrist or ankle injury, have kept him on the sidelines as well.
Porzingis has been inactive for the last five games due to a knee injury that he suffered on April 29th.
#1 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant's return from an Achilles injury, his pairing with Kyrie Irving at Brooklyn and the James Harden trade on January 13th made the Nets the biggest story in basketball this year. However, the team's Big Three have scarcely played in the current campaign.
Durant's injury-prone season has been one of the biggest reasons why the Brooklyn Nets' Big Three have played only a handful of games together this year.
Earlier in the year, Durant missed several games after entering the NBA's health and safety protocol more than once. A hamstring injury then kept him off the court for 23 consecutive games. He returned on April 7th and played in five of the team's following six games. However, he once again missed the next three games with a thigh injury.
Durant has only played 30 games in the 2020-21 NBA season, but he can still lead the Brooklyn Nets to the NBA championship if he can maintain his fitness.
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