The Doctor’s Room will examine between four and six NBA injuries to prominent players on a weekly basis, detailing their specific ailments, prognosis, and expected return dates.
NBA Injuries Update
John Collins
Ailment: back contusion
Diagnosed: January 3
Expected return: day-to-day
Fantasy benefactors: Jabari Parker, Cam Reddish, Bruno Fernando
John Collins, who has already missed games due to a suspension, injured his back after an awkward fall in Friday night’s game. It was evident he was in pain and even stayed down for more than a few seconds. He was later ruled out for the rest of the game, but his absence doesn’t sound like a lengthy one. He should be out there helping his fantasy owners sooner rather than later, and he will return to an 18.1 PPG, 1.6 3 PM, 9.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 STL, and 1.8 BPG line.
Blake Griffin
Ailment: left knee soreness
Diagnosed: December 14 (playing on-and-off through left knee soreness and other injuries)
Expected return: Week-to-week
Fantasy benefactors: Christian Wood
With Blake Griffin playing for the 12-23 Detroit Pistons, the shutdown potential is high. For now, he is out for today’s game, but in reality, he should be out for a few more days. That could extend to a couple of weeks or for the rest of the season. “If Blake could play he’d be playing. I think we just give him a few days of rest and see what happens… We’re just going to assess it in the next week or so. He’s a trooper” were the words of Pistons owner Tom Gores. Griffin hasn’t produced the way we hoped, posting 15.5 PPG, 1.5 3 PM, 4.7 RPG and 3.3 APG averages on the season.
Zion Williamson
Ailment: Torn lateral meniscus, right knee
Diagnosed: October 21
Expected return: Week-to-week (expected to debut in January)
Fantasy benefactors: Jaxson Hayes, Kenrich Williams
Williamson, the NBA’s top draft pick in 2019, is already healthy. The Pelicans want to give him a few more practices before trotting him out there, though. While they haven’t been so sharp lately, Jaxson Hayes and Kenrich Williams are top fantasy stashes while the prized power forward spends time on the shelf. Zion hasn’t made his debut in the league. “He’s dying to be back out here, taking his rehab very, very serious. He’s chomping on the bit. We’d love to have him out there because he is a game-changer,” coach Alvin Gentry said.
Larry Nance
Ailment: left knee soreness
Diagnosed: December 23
Expected return: 1-2 weeks
Fantasy benefactors: John Henson, Cedi Osman, Kevin Porter Jr.
While Nance hasn’t had a brilliant season (8.0 PPG, 0.9 3 PM, 7.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 STL, and 0.5 BPG) his fantasy owners will have another reason to drop him. The frontcourt player went down with left knee soreness since December 23 and it clearly has affected his play. After undergoing imaging on Friday, doctors determined that he should stay away from courts for 1-2 weeks.
Short-term Injuries
Caris LeVert
Ailment: Ligament damage in his right thumb
Diagnosed: November 14 (initially 4-6 weeks)
Expected return: Today
Most affected players: Joe Harris, Taurean Prince
At long last! After several weeks of speculation, Caris LeVert is expected to return from his thumb issue today vs. the Toronto Raptors. He is officially listed as probable but will likely play. Adrian Wojnarowski reported the good news for the Brooklyn Nets. He will likely be used as a second-string point guard initially, and coach Kenny Atkinson will likely increase his role as he accumulates more minutes and reps. LeVert is averaging 16.8 PPG, 1.4 3PM, 5.0 REB, 4.0 AST, and 0.7 STL.
Also check out our Seven-Day Player Rankings and our 2019-20 Fantasy Basketball Schedule Grid.
Got more questions about recent NBA injuries? Leave a question for Andres in the comments below.
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