As the start of the NBA season draws near several stars have already gone down with injuries. This is a rundown of the most notable injured stars, and the players who will be instrumental in replacing their production.
Kevin Durant, F, Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant is the reigning league MVP, and averaged 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season, with the points and assists registering as career-highs. This offseason he suffered a "Jones fracture," that's expected to require surgery and keep him off the floor for six to eight weeks.
There is no replacing that kind of production. Luckily for Oklahoma City, fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook is at full strength following multiple knee injuries dating back to the 2013 playoffs. He will assume the bulk of OKC's scoring and playmaking.
As for filling Durant's position on the floor? Expect to see a lot of Anthony Morrow, OKC's "big splash" in free agency this offseason. The Thunder selected big man Mitch McGary with their top pick in the 2014 (he is also injured), and then took swingman Josh Huestis at No. 29 overall in a cost-saving move. Huestis is going to spend the entire 2014-15 season in the D-League.
Morrow is not the scorer Durant is, nor the creator. He is however one of the NBA's most lethal 3-point shooters; Morrow is a career 43 percent shooter from deep, and nailed 45 percent of his attempts last season while logging 18 minutes per game.
Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards
The Wizards are built with the guard tandem of Beal and John Wall as its backbone. Beal averaged 17 points last season, and connected at a 40 percent clip from 3-point land last year.
Beal's spot will be up for grabs between Martell Webster and 2013 second-round pick Glen Rice, but the veteran Webster should get the nod. Webster has been in the league for nine seasons now and has never shown the scoring chops of a player like Beal, but he can replicate some of Beal's shooting. Webster is a career 39 percent marksman from deep, and long-range shooting is crucial when being paired with an elite slasher like Wall.
Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston Celtics
Rondo's expected to miss several weeks of the regular season after breaking a bone in his hand following a fall in his home, opening the door for rookie Marcus Smart to make teams pay for letting him fall to No. 6 overall in the 2014 draft.
Smart's poor 3-point shooting in two seasons at Oklahoma State and an ugly incident in which he pushed a fan dropped his stock, but he was an all-around contributor in both seasons with the Cowboys. In his sophomore season Smart posted averages of 18 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 42 percent shooting.
The Celtics are expected to struggle, and there aren't any threats to his playing time on the horizon until Rondo comes back. Smart will be handed the keys to the offense and should see big numbers from Day 1. Once Rondo's back, Smart also has the chops to shift to shooting guard.
Steve Nash, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
Nash injured his back carrying luggage on Wednesday, yet another sign that Nash simply isn't a viable starter these days. The two-time MVP should take a back seat in minutes sooner rather than later to Jeremy Lin, who may be able to rekindle his Linsanity magic in another huge market.
Lin's warts as a player are abundantly clear; he struggles defensively and can be turnover prone. He is also an underrated finisher at the rim, solid 3-point shooter (36 percent last season), and arguably the No. 2 scoring option on the Lakers behind Kobe Bryant.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
