Silver Linings for NBA's Most Banged-Up Teams
Injuries are just the worst.
Unfortunately, they're also a reality in today's NBA. Accidents happen. Bones break, limbs bruise, seasons are impeded and ruined by freak setbacks and disasters.
This year's batch of injury bugs has proved to be especially cruel. Players seem to be going down left and right before and during the season. It's horrible. At the same time, it's not all bad.
For the teams impacted most by fate's twisted sense of direction, there are silver linings—positives borne out of negatives, hope derived from misfortune. You just have to look hard enough. Once you do, you'll find it.
Our search begins now.
What follows isn't a look at minor bumps and bruises. Teams that need to see the bright side are the ones most impacted by absences. They're missing key players and franchise cornerstones or just inundated with physical suffering altogether.
Not every squad qualifies. The San Antonio Spurs aren't banged-up by conventional standards, even when Gregg Popovich sits his stars as he sees fit. Dwyane Wade's knees will forever make that rickety sound heard only in haunted houses, nursing homes and the creaky-floorboard store, so the Miami Heat are not victims of the same injury epidemic.
Multiple injuries. Consistent and significant absences. Depleted rotations. Those are the situations of primary interest—the ones that need to combat doom and gloom with the brightest silver linings.
*Injury information obtained via CBS Sports.
Orlando Magic: The Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier Show
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Notable Injuries: Victor Oladipo (facial fracture)
One injury typically wouldn't be enough to qualify for this list. But Oladipo is the Orlando Magic. Or at least he was before. He has some company now in Evan Fournier and rookie Elfrid Payton.
Fournier is starting in Oladipo's absence and receiving more playing time overall (31.4 minutes). He's made the most of his exposure thus far, tallying 14.6 points on 47.3 percent shooting, including a scalding-hot 42.9 percent clip from downtown. His emergence is huge for a team that ranked incredibly low on the three-point shooting (19th) and offensive efficiency scales last season (29th).
The Magic also have restricted free agent Tobias Harris tracking toward a serious payday. Fournier is nice insurance to have on the wing beyond this year if he bolts.
As for Payton, well, he's been sensational. And on that note, we hand the talking stick to ESPN Stats & Information's Ben Alamar:
"His shooting is as bad as advertised so far, at 34.1 percent on field goals, but Payton has started very quickly anyway -- he's averaging seven assists and almost five rebounds. Overall, through five games, Payton is averaging about 10 points, nine assists, six rebounds and two steals per 36 minutes, numbers which closely resembles those from Rondo's first season, when he was also 20 years old. The last player to reach those thresholds in his rookie season was Jason Kidd, the co-rookie of the year in 1994-95.
So who is Elfrid Payton? He is a young, dynamic point guard to watch as the rookie of the year race heats up.
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Payton is also the third rookie in league history to hand out at least seven assists in each of his first four games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, via BasketballInsiders.com's Tommy Beer. Throw in his pesky defense—Tony Wroten knows what I'm talking about—and spirited hairstyle, and the Magic have a star in the making on their hands.
Oladipo will hopefully be back soon. In the meantime, he and the Magic have a chance to enjoy the two sidekicks he'll receive once he does.
Philadelphia 76ers: Rim Protection
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Notable Injuries: Joel Embiid (back), Nerlens Noel (ankle), Michael Carter-Williams (shoulder)
Alleged tankers should see injuries as opportunity—a chance to field skeleton rotations comprising NBA Developmental League talent without raising suspicion. Perhaps that's what the (probably) tanking and still-winless Philadelphia 76ers are doing now.
Or maybe they're taking pride in their (gulp) topnotch rim protection.
Aided by Noel, who sprained his left ankle against the Magic, the Sixers are policing the iron as if, well, they're not actively tanking. They rank in the top 10 of rim protection at the moment; opponents are converting just 50 percent of their point-blank opportunities when attacking the heart of their defense.
Noel has been especially difficult to score on. He's holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting at the rim, statistically outperforming noted shot-blocking fiends Anthony Davis (50 percent) and Serge Ibaka (42.1 percent).
Rim protection was one of the Sixers' biggest issues during their 19-win 2013-14 crusade. They ranked 28th in opponent field-goal percentage at the rim, and they fielded a bottom-four defense. Now they're in the top 11 of both.
Is this defense here to stay?
"It's not too bad at all," Noel said of his sprained ankle, per Philly.com's Bob Cooney. "I'll make sure I get this rehabbed in the next couple of days and get back on the court."
That's a definitely maybe—which is a bright enough outlook for the Sixers.
Washington Wizards: Garrett's Temple of Offensive Fortitude
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Notable Injuries: Bradley Beal (wrist), Martell Webster (back)
What are the Washington Wizards to do after losing two of their best shooters and scorers in Beal and Webster?
Unleash Garrett Temple, of course. Duh.
Temple, a five-year veteran who has played for six—yes, six—different teams, is starting in place of the injured Beal. He has predictably (though not really) been setting the world ablaze, averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting a "is this for real?" 51.9 percent from downtown. He's also burying 53.6 percent of his catch-and-shoot bombs.
That reliable touch, along with his stingy defense—the lateral quickness is real, folks—prompted Bullets Forever's Michael D. Sykes to deem him the new Trevor Ariza:
"Though Washington probably did not plan on having Temple as a long-term solution for replacing Ariza, his defensive skill and his improved shooting touch should keep him as a mainstay in the rotation throughout the season. He won't supplant Bradley Beal as a starter once he returns, but it would be surprising if he does not play at least 23 minutes per game.
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Going as far as calling Beal's injury a blessing in disguise would be a monstrous stretch. But the Wizards are winning games—they're tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference as of Nov. 6—and may have found a long-term replacement for their most reliable wingman from last season.
No disguises needed here. If Temple, a potentially unrestricted free agent this coming summer, pans out, the Wizards will have another blessing to count.
Indiana Pacers: The Ball...It Moves
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Notable Injuries: Paul George (leg), George Hill (knee), Rodney Stuckey (foot), C.J. Watson (foot), David West (ankle)
Thanks to their smattering of injuries—not to mention Lance Stephenson's departure—the Indiana Pacers offense is pretty bad. The good news: It's not any worse than last season. In more ways than one, it's even better.
Last season the Pacers ranked 22nd in offensive efficiency. This year they stand at 23rd (for now). That they're not a bottom-three point-totaling machine at the moment is freaking incredible. Their top-three scorers from last season aren't on the floor. Their leading scorer is a former 15th man named Chris Copeland. Yet statistically the injury-ravaged Pacers are holding their own compared to last year's fiasco.
What black magic has made this possible?
Ball movement. Actual, the-rock-isn't-stuck-to-their-hands, the-players'-shoes-aren't-nailed-to-the-floor ball movement.
Indy ranked an unimpressive 14th in passes per game last year. Now it ranks in the top six. The team also assisted on 56 percent of its baskets in 2013-14. That number has climbed to 60.4 percent.
Baby steps, people. Offense emerged as the Pacers' downfall before this season. They're taking measures to remedy that now, which, assuming they don't regress upon getting healthy, should pay enormous dividends later this year and beyond.
New York Knicks: Same as Pacers
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Notable Injuries: Andrea Bargnani (hamstring), Jose Calderon (calf), Pablo Prigioni (ankle)
It's not that the New York Knicks' early-season performance has been encouraging. Their offense is mostly out of whack, and they're accepting handwritten applications for the starting point guard position (J.R. Smith need not apply). Like the depleted Pacers, though, they're beginning to move the ball.
After ranking 23rd in passes per game last year, they're on pace to finish third this season. More than 64 percent of their baskets are coming off assists as well, whereas only 54.2 percent were the product of dimes in 2013-14. Carmelo Anthony himself is working off an eight-assist performance against the Detroit Pistons. It's just his fifth time dropping eight or more dimes since joining the Knicks.
No, the offense hasn't been good. The Knicks rank 21st in efficiency, and their ball movement is paving way for far too many mid-range jumpers. But an uptick in selflessness—coupled with some triangle manipulation—can help them smooth out their offensive wrinkles.
Nine of the league's top-10 offenses held assist percentages north of 56 last year. These battered and bruised and Bargnani-less Knicks are well on their way to replicating a similar blueprint.
They just need to, you know, tone down on the whole "let's excessively hoist the most inefficient shots in basketball" thing.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant's Survival, Ed Davis' Arrival
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Notable Injuries: Steve Nash (ankle, back), Julius Randle (leg), Nick Young (thumb)
Regular-season luck doesn't get much more rotten than it has for the Los Angeles Lakers. Worse still, with Randle and Nash done for the year, the team won't get much fresher. There is, however, a bright spot located within the Lakers' world of darkness.
Two of them, actually.
Say what you will about Kobe Bryant's efficiency. Seriously, go ahead. He's on pace to register the worst true shooting percentage—which takes into account two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws—of anyone attempting at least 20 shots per game since Jamal Mashburn in 2003-04. Yuck it up.
But Bryant is also logging plenty of minutes and actually playing. He became just the fifth player over the last 15 years to explode for 39 or more points after his 36th birthday as well, joining the company of Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal and Reggie Miller.
And then there's Ed Davis, who is averaging 16.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes on a world-beating 66.7 percent shooting. That he's logging under 25 minutes per game is head-scratching. In his lone 30-minute outing of the season, he collected 14 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Small sample sizes and short bursts of playing time tend to bolster player efficiency. Davis, though, has earned a bigger role.
Expect head coach Byron Scott to give him one as the Lakers continue their search for bright spots amid dark times.
Oklahoma City Thunder: It's Reggie Jackson
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Notable Injuries: Kevin Durant (foot), Serge Ibaka (ankle) Perry Jones (knee), Jeremy Lamb (back), Anthony Morrow (knee), Russell Westbrook (hand)
When this many players are suffering, silver linings tend to come few and far between, but the Thunder still have one in Reggie Jackson, who is playing through some thigh soreness after missing time while nursing an injured ankle.
Jackson will hit restricted free agency this summer after failing to reach an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Though they have the right to match any offer he may receive, the Thunder don't always retain their restricted free agents. James Harden and Jeff Green didn't even make it to restricted free agency.
This case figures to be somewhat different. General manager Sam Presti already said in a press conference (h/t NewsOK's Erik Horne) they have no plans to trade Jackson, which should ensure he remains in Oklahoma City through the end of 2014-15. With so many players sidelined or slogging through injuries, this is his chance to become indispensable.
If he plays star-caliber basketball in the wake of all that's happened, how do the Thunder let him go? How would they tell Westbrook and Durant that Jackson isn't worth serious coin after he helped keep Oklahoma City afloat without them?
There's no guarantee this silver lining keeps Jackson with the Thunder long term. He might not even play well as a No. 3 or 4 option being catapulted into alpha-dog territory. But Jackson has been productive in his return, averaging 18 points and 9.5 assists (on 35.3 percent shooting) through two games. This is also an opportunity he's been waiting and ready to seize.
"When I said command a team, I didn't mean be a temporary starter or anything like that," Jackson said, per NewsOK.com's Berry Tramel. "Just trying to play my role while I'm here."
Right now, the role Jackson is being asked to play could give the Thunder something to think about as he enters restricted free agency—food for thought that, if history serves us correctly, they most definitely need.
*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com unless otherwise cited.
