A few thoughts on players returning from injury

We all know this year has been plagued by injuries. It seems like almost every team can fit under the “Hospital x” tag. And it seems like every week a player comes back to perform worse than how they did before injury and gets written off as washed. But there are a few things we fans should consider when watching these players jump back into the game.

1. Conditioning. The vast majority of these injuries are leg injuries, and that means that while the players rest then they’re also going to lose cardiovascular endurance. Look at the Nuggets. Every one of their injuries has been lower body and now theyre the worst clutch team in the league because they can’t hold it together through four quarters. And on the flip side, these players can also regain their cardio after being released from the medical report.

2. Synergy. Often a star will go down and it’s left to the next up player and the role players to fill in and sometimes figure out a system that doesn’t utilize that player to the same extent. Jalen Williams for example was out for several weeks, and by the time that he returned he was out of sync with the rest of the team and it took a minute for him to return to his normal demeanor and the thunder have recently been 11-4 with him on the floor.

3. The Yips. I think this one is the most important. Often we will see players reluctant to push themselves to the extent that they had prior to injury. Either they don’t want to put in as much lateral speed when defending the perimeter, or they don’t jump for a rebound, block, etc, or they’ll be hesitant to quickly transition the opposite direction when the possession changes hands. It might take a player a week or so to feel confident in their body to get back to their same moves.

Just writing this up as there are a few high profile returns from injury coming up and these situations are something to keep an eye out for.