Week 12 of NBA Power Rankings examines how health and injuries take a toll while the OKC Thunder experiences a week of highs and lows.
Over the course of the season, injuries can play as big of a factor as any hot or cold shooting streak or long road trip. Missing a star or core contributor can change the entire dynamic of a team’s success. The OKC Thunder experienced it with Danilo Gallinari out of the line up for four games but some teams have been ravaged by injury.
The obvious example is the Golden State Warriors but equally hit are teams like the Blazers, Pelicans, Wizards, and Raptors with only one of those teams surviving the adversity.
Almost all the top teams have navigated some form of core player being out due to injury. A look at the teams who register in the upper half is telling in terms of players who missed consecutive games.
In order not to give away this week’s ranking the following is the top 16 seeded teams listed alphabetically and the stars or core players who missed five consecutive games or more. Of note, a plus after indicates the player is still out.
76ers: Josh Richardson (6), Matisse Thybulle (7)
Bucks: Khris Middleton (7), Eric Bledsoe (8)
Celtics: Enes Kanter (7), Marcus Smart (8), Gordon Hayward (13), Robert Williams (16+)
Clippers: Rodney McGruder (7), JaMychal Green (7), Paul George (11), Landry Shamet (17)
Grizzlies: Kyle Anderson (5), Grayson Allen (10 and 5)
Heat: Goran Dragić (9), Derrick Jones (10), Justise Winslow (9 and 18+),
Jazz: Ed Davis (12 and 5), Mike Conley (5 and 12+)
Lakers: Kyle Kuzma (5), Rajon Rondo (9), Avery Bradley (13)
Magic: Nikola Vucevic (11), Al-Farouq Aminu (out for the season as of Dec. 1st), Michael Carter-Williams (6 and 10+), Jonathan Isaac – out 8 to 10 weeks as of Jan 1st
Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis (7+),
Nets: Caris LeVert (24), Wilson Chandler (25 game suspension), Kyrie Irving (26), Kevin Durant (season)
Nuggets: None who’ve missed five consecutive games (although Paul Millsap has missed 3 and expected out for a few more)
Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon (5), Jeremy Lamb (7), Myles Turner (8), Victor Oladipo (full season to date – expected back Jan. 29th)
Raptors: Fred VanVleet (5), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (5), Serge Ibaka (10), Kyle Lowry (11), Stanley Johnson (19), Patrick McCaw (18) Pascal Siakam (11), Marc Gasol (12), Norman Powell (11, Matt Thomas (21)
Rockets: Tyson Chandler (7), Gary Clark (11), Eric Gordon (22), Nene (season)
Thunder: Nerlens Noel (4 but will miss at least a game in week 13), Terrance Ferguson (5), Hamidou Diallo (17), Andre Roberson (season)
When you see it in black and white it’s amazing the Raptors remained in the mix during all the injuries to core players. They are the only team with more than four core players affected. Also of note, the Nuggets and Grizzlies through to this point in the season have lucked out with little to no injuries.
For those who prefer to keep track on a week by week basis each is linked below:
- Week 1: click here
- Week 2: click here
- Week 3: click here
- Week 4: click here
- Week 5: click here
- Week 6: click here
- Week 7: click here
- Week 8: click here
- Week 9: click here
- Week 10: click here
- Week 11: click here
And with that I give you my NBA Power Rankings for week 12 of action: