NBA injury report: Return timeline, updates, impact for Joel Embiid, Lonzo Ball, Marvin Bagley III, other injured stars

Injuries, injuries, injuries. The Philadelphia 76ers, who have so much frontcourt depth that Amir Johnson recently asked to go down to the G League, are suddenly without Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic, which, yikes. The Indiana Pacers, still improbably the third seed in the East, now have to try to keep it together without either of the studs they acquired in the Paul George trade, as Domantas Sabonis is temporarily joining Victor Oladipo on the inactive list. The Toronto Raptors still miss Fred VanVleet, the Boston Celtics badly miss Aron Baynes and the Brooklyn Nets haven’t had their whole backcourt rotation available since November. And that’s just the most important teams in the East. 

Sidenote: The Milwaukee Bucks sure have been blessed this season.

Anyway, there has also been some good news on the injury front lately, as Clint Capela, Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and Nikola Mirotic have returned from extended absences. Spencer Dinwiddie will be back soon, too.

We have every single NBA injury chronicled here and updated often to let you know who is in or out each night and beyond. But this page will look at the most important injuries in the NBA and how they are affecting teams and players moving forward. 

NBA’s biggest injuries

Feb. 28 update: Without their best player, the Sixers eked out wins against the Heat and Pelicans and lost by 15 to the Blazers. Embiid has been ruled out for their game against his buddy Russell Westbrook’s Thunder on Thursday, too, but could potentially return on Saturday against the Warriors. Starting in his place, Boban Marjanovic had a 19-point, 12-rebound performance in the Miami game, but he hurt his knee late in the Pelicans game and will be re-evaluated in about a week. This leaves Philadelphia thin at center, so it called up Justin Patton from its G League team on Wednesday. Patton has played just four NBA minutes since being drafted No. 16 in 2017, and I’m curious to see if the Sixers give him a shot. 

The Sixth Man of the Year candidate sprained his ankle late in the Pacers’ loss in Detroit on Monday, and coach Nate McMillan said he’d be “out for a couple games.” Without Sabonis on Wednesday in Dallas, they lost again, with T.J. Leaf and Kyle O’Quinn getting his minutes. Indiana’s next three games are against Minnesota, Orlando and Chicago, all at home, and then it will visit Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The Pacers are just half a game up on the Sixers in the standings, and the fifth-place Celtics are three games back. If they are going to stay in the position they’re in, taking care of business on this homestand is important, regardless of how long Sabonis has to sit out.

Another Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Spencer Dinwiddie is “very close” to a return, according to Kenny Atkinson, and the guard practiced with the G League’s Long Island Nets on Thursday. If he’s back when the Nets host Charlotte on Friday, it will be the first time since November that Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and D’Angelo Russell will all be active. The trio of playmakers has logged 90 minutes together over 14 games, and, in the playoffs, Brooklyn will probably need to have two of the three on the court at all times. 

I wonder what the Wolves record would be if Covington had never gotten injured. They’re 29-32 now, and if you still think the Lakers are in the Western Conference playoff race, then they are, too. Minnesota’s 110.4 defensive rating ranks 20th in the league, but it is 105.5 with Covington on the court. (For reference, Oklahoma City’s third-ranked defense allows 105.7 points per possession, the exact same mark as the Utah Jazz.) Covington was assigned to the G League’s Iowa Wolves on Wednesday, so perhaps he might return to the lineup at the end of Minnesota’s road trip. The Wolves’ next home game is on Tuesday against Oklahoma City.

Ball is near the end of his 4-to-6-week timetable for his Grade 3 ankle sprain, and the Lakers are expected to issue an update on his status after he is re-evaluated on Thursday. They have gone 4-9 in the 13 games he’s missed, which is, uh, not great, especially considering LeBron James has been back for most of them. LeBron, by the way, said recently that Los Angeles has felt Ball’s absence: “We obviously miss another ballhandler, another playmaker. A guy that’s very, very good defensively. With his ability to get a steal and pressure the offensive point guard and then push the pace for us, get into our early offense. So we miss that a lot.”

Jackson has had a phenomenal rookie season, but it might be over. While the Grizzlies have not ruled him out for the season, J.B. Bickerstaff said Wednesday that he “wouldn’t expect to see him anytime soon” and “he’s not even at a place where he’s on the court at all right now,” adding that “we’ve talked about it and we’ll be patient.” Memphis looks totally different than it did at the beginning of the season, with Jonas Valanciunas starting at center, Joakim Noah backing him up and both Bruno Caboclo and Ivan Rabb getting starts at power forward recently. Fun fact: 

Another impressive rookie big man, Bagley took a nasty screen from Malcolm Brogdon on Wednesday and left the game, with the team initially calling it a left knee sprain. The Kings announced Bagley will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks. In the meantime, Sacramento will need to push on without one of their key players.

VanVleet had surgery on his injured thumb a couple of weeks ago, and the team initially said he’d wear a splint for approximately three weeks while sidelined. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that he would have to miss about five weeks, which would mean he’d come back around Toronto’s home-and-home with the Thunder on March 20 and 22. In the meantime, they have won eight of nine games, including four of five since VanVleet’s injury, and his absence has afforded Jeremy Lin the opportunity to get regular backup point guard minutes as he tries to get accustomed to his new team.

Good news for the Celtics: The bruising big man could be back as soon as Sunday, according to Brad Stevens, who has turned to Robert Williams III, Daniel Theis and even Marcus Morris at center recently. Baynes only plays about 15 minutes a game, but he’s an elite defender and Boston has given up just 97.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the court this season, a truly absurd number. His absence is rarely mentioned when talking about the Celtics’ issues, but it has definitely affected them. 

Igor Kokoskov said Wednesday that Warren is getting closer to practicing with the team, which is good news for a roster that could use some scoring punch. The Suns snapped a 17-game losing streak on Monday in Miami, and, at 12-50, they have the worst record in the whole league. 

The Cavs announced that Thompson would be out for about two weeks more than a month ago. They aren’t playing for anything, so I guess they might as well be as cautious as possible. Ante Zicic has been starting at center next to Kevin Love, with Larry Nance Jr. and Marquese Chriss rounding out Cleveland’s frontcourt rotation.

The Wizards are still mum on a timtable for Howard, who started light workouts a week ago and hasn’t played since Nov. 18. Recovery from spinal surgery does not tend to be fast, so it would be best to keep your expectations low for the 33-year-old. Thomas Bryant has started at center for most of his absence, but coach Scott Brooks recently decided to bring him off the bench and start Bobby Portis at the 5 spot. Washington is having a forgettable season and likely wishes it signed somebody else instead of Howard last summer, but at 25-36 it is somehow only three games out of the playoffs in the East.

Exum seemed to be nearing a return before suffering a setback last week, and he’s now dealing with a bone bruise while Raul Neto plays backup point guard for Utah. He has dealt with a frankly ridiculous number of injuries over the course of his career, but the 23-year-old — yep, still only 23! — could still be a factor in the postseason.  

Feb. 10 update: Wall’s latest injury is so upsetting that I don’t want to say much about it. It’ll be about a year before he can play again, and this changed the direction of the franchise — owner Ted Leonsis went back on his word and dumped Otto Porter on trade deadline day. By the time Wall returns, the roster could look completely different. One positive to come out of this, though: He’s going to get his degree from Kentucky.

Fultz got the fresh start he wanted with a trade to Orlando, and team president Jeff Weltman did not say whether or not the guard will play this season. The Magic front office gave up Jonathon Simmons, a first-round pick and a second-round pick in order to take a chance on him, and they will pay him $9.7 million next season and, if they pick up his fourth-year option, $12.3 million the season after that. If he can get healthy and regain the shooting ability he showed in college, all of that will be a small price to pay, but those are massive ifs. 

Feb. 3 update: Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said that the Porzingis-Doncic duo reminds him of Dirk Nowtizki and Steve Nash, “only these guys are taller.” As exciting as this sounds, and as enthused as the Mavericks must be, we all have to be patient. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the plan is to “hold him and get him ready” for the 2019-20 season, which is a bit surprising considering they have no real incentive to tank. (Dallas’ first-round pick is owed to Atlanta as long as it doesn’t fall in the top five, and it is difficult to imagine the team falling so far in the standings that the pick lands that high.) There’s nothing wrong with being cautious with a 23-year-old coming off a serious injury, though, and this kind of statement will shut down speculation for the time being. If the Mavs’ training staff determines he’s ready to play sometime in March or early April, they could give their fans a pleasant surprise.

Chandler had been playing quite well before straining his right quad in the second half of the Sixers’ huge win against the Warriors on Thursday, but during his absence he was dealt to the Clippers in the big Tobias Harris blockbuster. It’s not clear exactly when he’ll be able to make his debut with the Clippers, but head coach Doc Rivers expects him to start practicing soon after the All-Star break. 

Jan. 26 update: Ugggggggh. What is there to say here? Oladipo suffered an awful, season-ending injury, and the Pacers obviously won’t be the same without him. Of course, they should remain a hard-playing, tough, cohesive team, but the idea of them potentially upsetting one of the East’s elite teams just doesn’t seem realistic anymore. If there was ever a time for Tyreke Evans to recapture the consistent production he had last season in Memphis, though, it is now. 

As if the Bulls‘ season needed to get more depressing. Carter had surgery on his injured thumb last week, which means he will be out for 8-12 weeks. In all likelihood, this means his (mostly great) rookie season is over. Carter’s averages of 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 25.2 minutes don’t quite capture how promising he has looked — the guy is 19 years old and plays with the maturity of a seasoned veteran. Chicago is a total mess, and the team is a significantly less interesting total mess without Carter on the court.

Jan. 18 update: Rick Carlisle called the 34-year-old’s season-ending injury “gut-wrenching,” and this is especially true because, despite his age, Barea had continued to run the pick-and-roll on the second unit this season the same way Mavericks fans have come to expect. Dallas is fortunate enough to have plenty of guard depth — even without Dennis Smith Jr., whose status with the team appears uncertain, rookies Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson are more than capable of running the show — but this is still a real bummer. Barea means a lot to Dallas, and, before tearing his Achilles tendon, he said he wants to play at least two more seasons. 

Jan. 11 update: Brooks’ season is over after just 18 games — he ruptured a ligament in his right big toe last Saturday in San Antonio, and had to have season-ending surgery. This is obviously a disappointing development for a player who had an encouraging rookie season and just hasn’t been able to stay on the floor this year. 

Dec. 29 update: Mbah a Moute’s sore left knee was not seen as a big deal when it started bothering him two months ago, but it wound up derailing his season. He tweeted on Monday that he will be back “soon,” but the Clippers have yet to officially update his status. When he does return, they will be an even more versatile team than they already are, but coach Doc Rivers will have an even tougher time trying to balance their rotation. 

Reporters watched Roberson’s post-practice work on Nov. 29 and came away impressed, and Thunder coach Billy Donovan said he has “been on a really good track,” per The Oklahoman‘s Erik Horne. A day later, the team announced he’d suffered a setback in his recovery, as an MRI revealed an avulsion fracture, and he would be re-evaluated in six weeks. Oklahoma City deserves all sorts of credit for having the best defense in the whole league without Roberson, who is a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber stopper when healthy.  

Jones had surgery on Wednesday, and he might be out for the remainder of the season. The Warriors announced he will “begin the rehab process” six weeks after the surgery. Jones had started in 22 of his 24 games this season, but only averaged 17.4 minutes — Golden State takes a platoon approach to the center position. If he’s done for the year, Golden State will rely on Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell in addition to the still-sidelined Cousins as its traditional 5s. Of course, its best look in the playoffs will probably remain Green playing “center” with Kevin Durant next to him in the frontcourt.

Nov. 29 update: The mysterious Porter continues to be out indefinitely despite saying he was pain-free in the summer. The 20-year-old was only available to the Nuggets because he had two back surgeries, so he should be seen as a long-term, low-risk, high-upside play. There is no meaningful analysis to be done here, but Denver would love to look brilliant for taking him at No. 14 in the draft if/when he is healthy down the road. 

This sucks so much for both him and the Spurs — Murray is the their best defender, and they have been 23rd in defensive rating. He was supposed to take the leap this season, but that went out the window when he crumpled to the floor in a preseason game. On offense, San Antonio has relied on DeMar DeRozan’s playmaking even more than it planned to, and Bryn Forbes has stepped into a starting role at point guard. We will soon find out if Lonnie Walker can earn a role in the rotation, too. 

The Bulls have been hit with a whole bunch of injuries early in the season, from Markkanen’s elbow to Bobby Portis‘ knee and Kris Dunn’s knee. Valentine is on this list because he is done for the year after undergoing what the team called an “ankle stabilization procedure” on Tuesday — his injury was initially described as a moderate ankle sprain in September.