That’s an admittedly alarmist title, but it’s not exactly untrue.
Tuesday night was the night the NBA began to worry… about the health of many of its best players.
Bradley Beal did not play in what was one of the most anticipated early-season games on the schedule, the clash between Beal’s Washington Wizards and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game was a dud, in large part because the Wizards lost their most dynamic shooter-scorer. However, it got worse when Durant — the emotional and thematic centerpiece of the game, due to the drama which will surround a possible relocation to Washington, D.C., next summer — suffered an injury of his own midway through the proceedings.
With Oklahoma City soon to play Philadelphia on an Eastern road swing, it would be patently foolish for the Thunder to play Durant against such an inferior opponent. That’s really not the concern OKC is confronting right now. The main issue with Durant is that his body has become at least something of an injury magnet. The Thunder will need Durant at maximum strength in the playoffs; they cannot take the court with an 80-percent version of the superstar. The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs will pounce on an appreciably diminished Durant.
No, this isn’t a present-moment crisis, but it is the beginning of a (new) time to worry in Oklahoma City.
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Then switch to Cleveland. On Tuesday night, that’s where Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz appeared to have suffered a nasty ankle injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gobert re-entered the game, relieving a number of fears in Salt Lake City. However, in the short time he was away, the Cavs scored on three consecutive possessions. Cleveland’s decisive rally was aided by Gobert’s absence, underscoring (an ironic word, that) the extent to which the Jazz absolutely have to have him on the floor in crunch-time situations.
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Last but certainly not least, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans suffered an injury midway through Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Pelicans have, of course, been pummeled by injuries, more than just about any other team in the league. The No. 8 playoff team in the Western Conference last season has been a shell of its former self in light of this injury bug, which the team has caught in full. With Davis now dinged up, the Pelicans face an ever more perilous situation.
The obvious tension point the organization and coach Alvin Gentry must confront is this: How much do you play Davis in light of the injuries and the limitations which already exist?
The question feeds into a broader and equally difficult question: How much do you try to save the season now, under already terrible circumstances, compared to keeping Davis out of the lineup with an eye toward the 2016-2017 season, perhaps tanking to get a top-10 pick and gaining a piece of luck akin to what the Miami Heat have (possibly) found with Justise Winslow?
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This was the night the NBA began to worry about injuries to star players. Several situations in three different arenas all contributed to the feeling that, once again, a season and all its promise rest in a fragile set of circumstances… and the fickle fingers of a fate which can be all too cruel.
None of these injuries were or are devastating, but they offer the reminder that just such an occurrence could pop up at any time.
That worry is always in the back of the mind of an NBA coach or executive. Last night, the worry jumped to the front of many minds in the NBA.
