NBA MD: How Injuries have Begun to Shape the League

(AP)

Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry, Foot

(Michael Dwyer/AP)

The Toronto Raptors have been one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Since the All-Star Break, Toronto is an abysmal 1-13. They have now lost 4 in a row and sit at 11th in the Eastern Conference. Lowry’s injury is certainly not going to help the Raptors, but they were playing like garbage anyways. This injury is going to affect the bottom half of the Eastern Conference Standings. Due to this year’s expanded Playoffs, 10 teams will make it in. The 7-10 seeds will battle in a new play-in tournament to move forward. Even though they were bad, many people believed the Raptors to still be good enough to make it to at least 10th. Now with them sitting at 11 and Lowry out for about a week, they could easily find themselves in 14th if they aren’t careful. This means teams like the Bulls, Wizards, and Pacers have one less team to worry about. There is such a blockage from 4-12 in the East, but the Raptors were already on the outside looking in. This breaths new life into the bottom half of the Eastern Conference going down the stretch.

Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Fractured Right Wrist

(USA Today Sports)

Charlotte has been the exact opposite of Toronto this year. Nobody expected them to be this good or this fun to watch at the beginning of the year. Improvement was easy to believe after adding All-Star Gordon Hayward, but a jump to the 4th seed in the East is huge for Charlotte. Their most exciting player, Rookie of the Year frontrunner LaMelo Ball, was leading their bench unit and looking like a future star in the league. Unfortunately, Ball will likely be out for the rest of the year with a fractured wrist. This opens up a real dogfight for the 4th and 5th seeds in the East. Charlotte will certainly be looking to hold onto it, but teams like Hawks, Celtics, and Heat are going to be desperately looking for home court advantage in the 1st round of the Playoffs. Ball being out could shape the Eastern Conference Playoff matchups more than any other injured player right now.

Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid, Left Knee

(theathletic.com)

Joel Embiid has been out nearly 3 weeks with a bone bruise in his left knee. Embiid suffered the injury when he landed extremely awkwardly following a dunk against the Wizards. Besides the jockeying in the 1-3 seeds of the East, his injury isn’t going to change much in the Playoff landscape. However, Embiid’s injury will greatly affect this year’s MVP race. Joel was my leader for the award at the All-Star Break and was having his best season ever before the break. He was averaging 30 and 10 while leading the 76ers to the 1st seed in the East. However, since going down other candidates like Nikola Jokic, James Harden, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have pulled up a chair to the MVP table. This year’s race is so close that I believe Embiid may have lost his chance at the award. Jokic is the new front runner with the Nuggets playing very well since All-Star. It is a shame Embiid is losing 3 weeks of the season, but it also make the MVP talks a bit juicier.

Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James, High Ankle Sprain & Anthony Davis, Right Achilles Tendonosis

(USA Today Sports)

The two injuries plaguing the Los Angeles Lakers are also the two affecting the league the most. The Defending Champions have been down Davis for a while now. He has been out since February 14th and the Lakers have slid down the standings. Before the injury, they were battling for the 2nd seed, flip flopping #2 and #3 with the Clippers and Suns. Since Davis has gone out, the Lakers haven’t sniffed the 2nd seed. Their other star, the star amongst stars LeBron James, was also recently knocked out of a game with a high ankle sprain. James’s foot was rolled onto by clumsy old man Solomon Hill while going for a loose ball. LeBron has been out since March 20th and is expected to miss at least another 3 weeks. The Lakers have looked like their early 2010s team since LeBron has gone out. They are 5-5 in their last 10 and now only half a game above the 6th seeded TrailBlazers. The Lakers could easily lose out on home court advantage for the Playoffs if their two cornerstones don’t return quickly. LeBron’s injury also affects this year’s juicy MVP race. James was a leader amongst the fan and media speculation. His time off will hurt his case just like Embiid’s will. On the flip side, some have argued if LeBron makes it back in time and rejuvenates the Lakers to the 2nd seed, it would be hard NOT to give the award to James. The Lakers are constantly shaping the league, even when they lose.