Kyrie Irving and John Wall Headline NBA All-Injury Teams

For the past 71 years, the NBA has honored its ten best players by naming them to its First and Second All-NBA teams. In most years, the two five-man squads are a who’s who of elite talent, but 2018 could be an exception due to an unprecedented wave of debilitating injuries.

Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, and John Wall are just a few of the perennial All-Stars who have missed long stretches of the season and have contributed to a staggering 42-percent increase in games lost to injury from a year ago.

We want to ensure the league’s top talent still receive their due, so we’ve created our very own First and Second NBA All-Injury teams. We’ve focused on players who have missed at least 20 games due to injury and have included their 2017-18 statistics below.

NBA ALL-INJURY FIRST TEAM

Kyrie Irving (Celtics)

Kyrie Irving was a top-five MVP candidate earlier in the year when he was leading the Celtics to 16 straight wins. Unfortunately, his high usage rate eventually wore him down, and the five-time All-Star has been on the shelf since March 11th.

Irving recently underwent surgery to alleviate pain in his left knee and is expected to miss the first round of the playoffs.

Praying for a speedy recovery for both @StephenCurry30 and @KyrieIrving ????

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) March 24, 2018

Steph Curry (Warriors)

The Warriors’ title defense got a lot trickier on March 23rd when Steph Curry sprained his MCL in a game against the Hawks. The two-time MVP was appearing in his first game back after tweaking his right ankle and will now be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks.

Golden State can soldier on without him for the next few weeks, but they’ll need Curry back at 100-percent to have any shot of knocking off the Rockets.

Golden State can soldier on without him for the next few weeks, but they’ll need Curry back at 100-percent afterwards to have any shot of knocking off the red-hot Rockets.

Jimmy Butler (Timberwolves)

Minnesota’s postseason odds got a little longer on February 23rd when Jimmy Butler went down with a meniscal injury in a game against Houston. The Timberwolves have gone just 8-8 without their All-Star guard and now have to win a pair of crucial games against the Nuggets to secure their first playoff berth since 2004.

Raw footage of Jimmy Butler’s rehab workout pic.twitter.com/s5aZWMbpfK

— T/L Sports Media (@TLSportsMedia) March 29, 2018

Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)

One of the fun things about the NBA is learning about exotic injuries. Who among us knew that right quadriceps tendinopathy was even a thing before it knocked Kawhi Leonard out for the majority of 2017-18? The two-time All-Star has been medically cleared to play for several weeks but has chosen not to suit up for reasons known only to him and his closest advisors.

DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans)

DeMarcus Cousins was having one of the best seasons of his nine-year career when he ruptured his Achilles on January 26th in a game against the Rockets. The timing couldn’t have been worse for the 6’11” All-Star, who will be a free agent this summer and was hoping to cash in with a max deal.

Boogie will still have plenty of suitors, but he may have to settle for a less lucrative deal than he would have gotten before crumpling into a heap on his home court.

NBA ALL-INJURY SECOND TEAM

Mike Conley (Grizzlies)

Mike Conley’s first season as the NBA’s highest paid player didn’t quite go as expected. The 6’1” point guard limped through the first 12 games of the season with a lingering Achilles injury and was sent to the sidelines for good on November 14th. He has since undergone surgery to smooth a small bone protrusion in his left heel and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

For those of you keeping track at home, the Grizzlies paid Mike Conley $76,489 for every minute he played in 2017-18.

For those of you keeping track at home, the Grizzlies paid Conley $76,489 for every minute he played in 2017-18.

John Wall (Wizards)

John Wall has long been considered one of the fastest players in the league. Unfortunately for the Wizards, he’s also one of its slowest healers. The All-Star guard needed two months to recover from his latest knee injury, thereby continuing a trend of abbreviated seasons that began during his first year in the league.

On the positive side, the five-time All-Star looked sharp in his return on Saturday night, going off for 15 points and 14 assists in a commanding 107-93 win against the Hornets. His presence elevates the Wizards from first round playoff fodder to possible Finals contender.

Gordon Hayward (Celtics)

Gordon Hayward’s first season in Boston came to an unceremonious end when the All-Star forward broke his left ankle five minutes into his Celtics debut. The gruesome injury led off every sportscast in the country and has since become must-see TV for sadomasochists worldwide. The 28-year-old is reportedly progressing well but has only begun jogging and doesn’t factor into the team’s postseason plans.

GORDON HAYWARD IS JOGGING, FOLKS! #Celtics pic.twitter.com/FBXqnh6X0J

— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) April 2, 2018

Kevin Love (Cavaliers)

Other players on our list have suffered more devastating injuries, but no one has been beset by a wider array of them than Kevin Love, who has missed time this season with a sprained ankle, a fractured hand, a sore right knee, a concussion, and an anxiety attack. Despite his many setbacks he was still more reliable than Isaiah Thomas. The Cavs will need Love back at full strength if they hope to make any noise in the playoffs.

Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks)

Few players got off to a faster start this season than Kristaps Porzingis. The 7’3” Latvian averaged 29.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in October and had the Knicks in the thick of the playoff hunt before tearing his ACL on February 6th in a game against the Bucks. New York has since lost 18 of its last 22 games and will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

INJURIES #NBA | #KristapsPorzingis has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee | Season-ending surgery on torn ACL in his knee today | Return timetable after procedure |#Knickspic.twitter.com/pS3MqYqktO

— Basket Flow (@RealBasketFlow) February 7, 2018

Honorable Mentions:

Paul Millsap (Nuggets)
Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Nikola Vucevic (Magic)
Lonzo Ball (Lakers)
Patrick Beverley (Clippers)