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NBA season finale: Which injured players can still return?
Of course, this refers to the stars/top performers who can still significantly influence the fate of their franchise. And here follows, first of all, an appreciative nod towards the LA Clippers: Who would have thought that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George would have 57 appearances each at this point! The Clips have to look after the rotten bones and tendons of their top performers, but Leonard is currently on the alert. But so far they have held out. The second team from Los Angeles is currently only waiting for sixth man Russell Westbrook, who could return before the playoffs after breaking his hand.
Is Russ still one of the top performers? Rather not. Karl-Anthony Towns definitely does. The Timberwolves big man underwent surgery on his torn meniscus in his left knee on Tuesday and an update on his status is expected in four weeks. He’s expected to be back early in the playoffs now, and the entire Twin Cities should keep their fingers crossed that it doesn’t take too long. Without KAT, the team simply lacks the offensive punch – and since the squad will become significantly more expensive in the offseason, a separation in the offseason does not seem out of the question. So it could be the last chance for the Big Three of Towns, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert.
Of course, in the East, Joel Embiid looms over everything. The Sixers, whose squad is currently falling apart, are on the verge of slipping into the play-in after four wins from their last ten games, and if Embiid can’t play at all this season, you can see her straight in in the City of Brotherly Love knock the barrel. They are currently hoping for his return in the final week of the regular season, but they will undoubtedly be overly cautious with the current MVP.
100 miles further north, Julius Randle, who injured his shoulder, can at least train easily and without physical contact. The Knicks’ big man has been out since the end of January and they are still hoping for his comeback. But there is no real schedule for Brunson’s sidekick, without whom the Knickerbockers would be significantly weakened in the playoffs. After all, new signing OG Anunoby should be back soon.
Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks summed it up well after Saddiq Bey’s exit from the season: “The fate of many teams ultimately depends on injuries.” Especially in the East, the Knicks and Cavs have been struggling through the last few weeks, the Hawks have been missing Trae Young for weeks, and the Pacers have already lost Benedict Mathurin for the rest of the season. We can only hope that no more prominent names join in…
2024-03-13 11:39:55
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