Trae Young’s potential absence for the rest of the season is, well, unfortunate for the Wizards, but perhaps more so for the teams gunning for a better draft pick.
The key guard has participated in only five games this season, and the Wizards announced Saturday that he’s facing two injuries. They noted that he aggravated his quadriceps during a loss to the Warriors on Monday, and further tests indicated “lower back inflammation.”
“Both injuries have been treated conservatively and no surgery is required at this time,” the Wizards stated.
Interestingly, Washington had the second-worst record in the NBA at 16-53 prior to this announcement, which translates to a solid shot at securing the No. 1 draft pick this year.
It’s worth noting that the Wizards are currently on a 14-game losing streak, and Young has only been part of five of those games.
Washington had acquired Young from the Hawks in January after he spent a significant period sidelined with an MCL sprain and quadriceps problem.
Moreover, the Wizards traded for Anthony Davis, who hasn’t yet made his debut with the team. He mentioned recently that his injured left hand “has not fully healed” and will be reevaluated later this month. Honestly, it wouldn’t be shocking if Davis doesn’t see the court this season.
Injuries that sideline star players are pretty common on the league’s poorest teams.
Take the Pacers, for instance. They had a rough season and lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles, which, I guess, influenced their strategy moving forward.
Just recently, the NBA penalized the Pacers for resting three starters, which was an interesting choice.
They did, however, trade for Ivica Zubac, but his minutes were limited. He played five games before being sidelined for the season due to a broken rib.
Then there’s the Nets, who have the third-worst record at 17-53 and recently announced that Michael Porter Jr. will be out for at least two weeks with a hamstring strain, possibly missing the entire season. It’s really discouraging, to say the least.
The Kings, currently in fourth, have already sidelined both Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine, while the Jazz have seen diminished output from Jaren Jackson Jr. I mean, it’s quite a mess out there for teams trying to turn things around.
