5 most shocking injuries of the 2022-23 NBA Season

For most players, the new NBA season is a chance to flash the improvements they made throughout the offseason. Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan. In some of the worst cases, an injury can derail months of hard work.

We see it every year. A player is having a great start to the season, only to be sidelined for months at a time, or worse, the entire season. The question is, which players suffered this extremely harsh fate during the 2022-23 NBA season?

Here are the five most shocking injuries from this past basketball year.

#5 - LeBron James (ankle)

Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Four

On the surface, the ankle injury which LeBron James suffered during mid-February wasn't all that shocking. After all, basketball requires a lot of running, jumping, landing, and changing direction at pace. However, throughout his long and storied career, LeBron James has managed to evade injury.

Yet, at age 38, it's clear that LeBron's body is becoming susceptible to the dangers we mere mortals have been dealing with our whole lives. LeBron James originally missed three games before. He was trying to tough it out for the Los Angeles Lakers, only to further aggravate the tendon and miss a further 13 games.

Still, LeBron was able to return in time for the playoffs, where he helped lead his team on a run to the Western Conference Finals.

#4 - Pascal Siakam (Muscle Strain)

Minnesota Timberwolves v Toronto Raptors

Pascal Siakam has improved year-on-year since entering the NBA, and is now the clear-cut best player on the Toronto Raptors (until Scottie Barnes takes his next step). So, when the veteran forward slipped while attempting a crossover against the Dallas Mavericks, Raptors fans could be forgiven for worrying.

As it turns out, Siakam's fall led to a muscle strain that kept him on Toronto's sidelines for 10 games, missing almost the entire month of November. Fortunately, Pascal Siakam was able to return to Toronto's rotation in their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 28, and he continued to remain healthy through the rest of the season.

#3 - Steven Adams (Knee)

Memphis Grizzlies v Phoenix Suns

At the turn of the calendar year, Steven Adams suffered a knee injury while playing against the Phoenix Suns. What appeared to be a minimal knock at first, ended up costing the hulking big man over half of the regular season. Unfortunately, Adams was unable to make a recovery in time to be part of the Memphis Grizzlies postseason rotation either.

Now, the Grizzlies will be hoping that the offseason allows Steven Adams to heal so that he can come back and make an impact on their roster during the 2023-24 season. Stevens Adams will be starting the first year of his two-year $25 million contract extension once the 2023-2024 season gets underway.

#2 - Tyler Herro (hand)

Cleveland Cavaliers v Miami Heat

Considering the Miami Heat are currently competing in the NBA Finals, it's hard to believe that one of their best players got injured in the opening game of the playoffs. Yet, that's exactly what happened, as Tyler Herro suffered a fractured hand when diving for a loose ball.

Tyler Herro hasn't appeared in any of the Miami Heat's playoff games since sustaining his injury, and now, it appears he will be out for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, Herro's absence didn't derail Erik Spoelstra's team, as they are currently tied with the Denver Nuggets after the first two games of the NBA Finals and will be feeling confident heading into game three.

#1 - LaMelo Ball (ankle)

Miami Heat v Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball has dealt with a string of injuries this season, but none more serious than the fractured ankle he suffered when playing against the Detroit Pistons in late February. Without LaMelo in their rotation, the Charlotte Hornets found offense tough to come by and ended the season ranked dead last in offensive rating.

LaMelo Ball is expected to enter into discussion regarding a potential contract extension during the summer, and given how well he was playing before, his season was cut drastically short; it would make sense for the Charlotte Hornets to pay him and keep him around for as long as possible.