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Injuries are never a thing to laugh about. However, when you play sports, there is always a high risk that you get injured several times over your career and there are only a handful of NBA players who have never had to go through any injuries.
Two weeks into the new season, we have seen players such as Gordon Hayward, Draymond Green, and others get injured which only takes away more talent from the league that is already missing a lot of its stars due to fitness troubles.
We take a look at five superstars who will miss the entire 2019-20 season in all likelihood.
#5 DeMarcus Cousins - Los Angeles Lakers
You have to feel sad for DeMarcus Cousins. After tearing his left Achilles while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans against the Houston Rockets, Cousins did not receive the kind of offers he would have otherwise received from the teams around the league.
He, therefore, went ahead and signed with the Golden State Warriors on a mid-level exception for the 2018-19 season. During his one-year tenure in Golden State, he tore his left quadriceps and missed a significant number of playoffs games. His performance on the Warriors team was not up to his usual standards but it is understandable as he was just recovering from a series of tough injuries.
After failing to win a ring with the Warriors, Cousins signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal for the 2019-20 season. As if the things weren't already worse for him, he tore his ACL during preseason workouts with the Lakers. I can't even imagine what Cousins must be going through right now and one can only pray that he recovers well and starts performing like the player we once knew.
The Lakers are performing at a very high level even in Cousins' absence and there is no reason for the management to rush him. A healthy Cousins can be a real problem for the rest of the league and he should go through the recovery process without worrying about anything else at this point. One more injury and Cousins' NBA career itself can be in jeopardy.
#4 John Wall - Washington Wizards
John Wall is one of the fastest point guards in the league and is also the face of the Washington Wizards. After five straight All-Star appearances (2014 to 2018), John Wall missed the All-Star Game, thanks to injuries cutting short his appearances to just 31 games.
Wall underwent successful surgery on his left heel in January this year and missed the remainder of the 2018-19 season. However, he then developed an infection in the incision from that surgery before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon, after slipping and falling in his home.
The official report says that he is expected to be out until at least May 1 and with his team expected to miss the playoffs, there is no reason to believe that he will be back this season.
#3 Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors' fans hearts broke when their All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. This came just two days after their All-Star forward Kevin Durant ruptured his right Achilles tendon.
Thompson was red-hot in Game 6 and the timing of the injury could not have been worse. He finished the game with 30 points, leaving the game in the third quarter after shooting a pair of free-throws.
With the Warriors in full tank mode, there are very low chances that Klay will return anytime this season. This season is just about their young talent getting enough experience in the league and the Warriors management will be targeting next season to stay relevant in the association once again.
#2 Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
It appears like the Warriors' dynasty finally ended after dominating the league for five straight years, winning three NBA championships. The Warriors who were looking like a 7th or 8th seed team with the departure of the likes of Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and other fringe players in the absence of Klay Thompson this season due to ACL injury, suffered a major setback with Stephen Curry suffering a broken left hand against the Phoenix Suns.
Last night, before the Warriors' game against the Jazz, Curry revealed that he will need a second surgery to remove pins placed in his hand from the first surgery, which is expected to cause some swelling and it is very unlikely that he will return this season.
#1 Kevin Durant - Brooklyn Nets
At #1 on this list, we have Kevin Durant, who is one of the top three players in the league today. Durant suffered Achilles injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals 2019 and subsequently missed Game 6 of the finals at home.
He quickly underwent surgery and is still in the process of recovery. However, an Achilles rupture is widely known as one of the toughest injuries to recover from for sports athletes and it is highly likely that Durant will take his time and not rush into it.
Just before the season started, Durant appeared on his former teammate Serge Ibaka's show called 'How Hungry Are You?' and when Ibaka asked him if he was planning on coming back to play this season, Durant said: "I am not expecting to play at all this season."
He told the same thing when he came on ESPN's 'First Take' and this makes perfect sense because we have seen how injuries recur when players come back and play without recovering fully and more than anyone, Durant knows this better.
