Fantasy Basketball Week 3 Injury Report: James Harden To Miss At Least One Month After Injuring Foot
Though we are just about 10 games into the 2022-23 NBA regular season, some major injuries to big-name players have already occured. Last night, 76ers superstar James Harden strained a tendon in his right foot and is expected to miss at least a month of basketball. Elsewhere, Damian Lillard of the Blazers could be out for another two weeks after straining his calf last Thursday.
We will also take a look at the progress being made by players like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Robert Williams III who underwent offseason surgery and are still months away from returning to NBA action.
Let’s take a look at the first new injuries of the NBA season and where players recovering from injuries sustained last season are right now in terms of their recovery time table.
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Week 3 NBA Injury Report
SG James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers (Foot)
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported today 76ers star James Harden is expected to miss at least a month after straining a tendon in his right foot against the Washington Wizards Wednesday night.
Harden had been off to a solid start this season. He produced 22.0 PPG (44.1 FG%), 7.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.8 minutes per game. With him out of the picture, expect Tyrese Maxey’s already important role on the roster to increase. Right now, Maxey is averaging more than 24 points per game while shooting 51.6% from the field and 46.8% from downtown. Expect an uptick in points and assists while Harden is sidelined. Fantasy owners should also expect an increased role from De’Anthony Melton who’s been playing tremendously off the bench in his first season for the 76ers. Certainly, it would be awesome for the 76ers to get Joel Embiid back as soon as possible with Harden out for the next month.
PG Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (Calf)
Damian Lillard is expected to miss one-to-two weeks after sustaining a minor strain to his right calf last Thursday (October 27). The MRI he underwent after the game last Thursday confirmed that Lillard only suffered a grade one strain, which is the best case scenario for this type of injury. With him out of the lineup, Anfernee Simons should continue to explode. Simons has combined for 20-of-41 shooting for 61 points over the Blazers' last two contests. He scored 30 points against the Rockets on Oct. 28, and 31 points against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Jusuf Nurkic has also seen his scoring numbers blow up with Lillard sidelined. The Blazers’ big man has combined for 50 points and 28 rebounds in the Blazers’ last two contests. Through this stretch, he converted 20-of-31 shots taken from the field. He’s been a perfect four-of-four from downtown over the last two games. Without Lillard, all of Portland's role players have to step up significantly. Jerami Grant is another player who has benefitted from Lillard's absence.
SG Bogdan Bodganovic, Atlanta Hawks (Knee)
Bogdanovic went on record last week saying that his knee caused him major pain last season which he nonetheless played through. In fact, Bodganovic explained that his knee has been a challenge that he’s been playing through since his earliest years in the NBA. For this reason, the Hawks shooting guard underwent surgery on his right knee in mid-June which kept him out of the Hawks’ 2021 postseason run. He’s been sidelined to start the season but is making good progress. Midway through last week, it was reported that Bogdanovic had returned to one-on-one reps in practice for the Hawks.
While he is still weeks away from returning to action, he is getting back to practice and is recovering well. If for some reason he isn't owned in your fantasy basketball league, scoop him up immediately as he'll help Atlanta's offense spread out in a very meaningful way. I'm anticipating a ton of open threes once Bogdanovic is healthy.
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PG Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets (Knee)
Nets’ interim head coach Jacque Vaughn announced this morning that Simmons, who’s been dealing with “soreness and swelling” in his knee, will not travel with the team for at least the first two games of their three-game road trip.
Vaughn was asked if Simmons would miss all three games to which he replied: “I’m gonna say the first two just for sure.” Therefore, Simmons will at least be out tomorrow night against the Wizards and Saturday night against the Hornets. We will have to see over the next few days whether or not Simmons will be ready to suit up against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The Nets return home to host the Knicks on Wednesday night (Nov. 9).
SG Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets (Ankle)
Terry Rozier hurt his ankle in the Hornets’ second game of the season against the Pelicans (October 21). He scored 24 points (10-19 FG), six rebounds, and six assists in the season-opener against the Spurs. He nearly produced a triple-double before hurting his ankle on Oct. 21 finishing the contest with 23 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Rozier missed his sixth consecutive game last night and will continue to nurse his ankle in order to return as soon as possible. Especially with LaMelo Ball out of the lineup as well, Dennis Smith Jr. should keep seeing big playing time and elevated production.
PG LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets (Ankle)
LaMelo Ball sprained his left ankle against the Wizards in a preseason game on October 10.
A timetable for Ball’s return remains unclear. However, Ball was diagnosed with a Grade 2 ankle sprain just a little more than two weeks ago. An injury like this usually takes approximately 20 days to recover from.
If Ball is progressing well, he could be making a return to the Hornets as soon as next week. If you consider how long it took for other guards who had the same injury to return to the court, Ball should be active within the next few games.
SF Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers (Knee)
Unfortunately for the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee. Leonard did not travel with the Clippers for their current road trip, which means he will be out for at least another night: tomorrow against the Spurs in San Antonio. Ty Lue and the Clippers are being extremely cautious with bringing Leonard back. The goal is to ease him back into action in the hopes that stiffness and pain in his knee progressively subside. Still, Leonard is dealing with the effects of a knee injury which happened well over a year ago. After missing all of last season, the hope was that he’d be healthy and ready to go in 2022. So far this has not been the case.
PG Dennis Schroeder, Los Angeles Lakers (Thumb)
Dennis Schroeder has yet to play this season. He is nursing a thumb injury but has started doing personal workouts and individual practices. The Lakers reported yesterday that the German guard would be re-evaluated in a Week. As a result, Schroeder should still be weeks away from getting on the floor for the Lake Show this season. At the moment, Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley are sharing floor time for the Lakers at PG. It is noteworthy that Russ has been looking more like himself over the last few games.
SF Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (Wrist)
This week, the Milwaukee Bucks sent Khris Middleton to their G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, where he has been participating in practice.
Middleton is still recovering from a surgery he underwent this offseason to repair ligaments in his left wrist. Without him in the lineup, the Bucks have been cruising. Still, getting Middleton back in the active lineup would be huge for the Bucks as they try to hold on to their impressive record to kick off the 2022-23 NBA season.
C Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (Ankle)
Deandre Ayton started in Phoenix’s first four games where he played well. Eight minutes into Friday’s game against the Pelicans, Ayton rolled his ankle. Subsequently, the Suns’ big man has been out over the last two games. It was reported Saturday that Ayton is expected to miss at least one week for the Suns.
As a result, he should still be out for Phoenix’s next few games. All in all, Ayton shouldn’t miss significant time for the Suns and could be back in action as soon as midway through next week.
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NBA Players Months Away From Return
PF Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (Foot)
Last season, Jaren Jackson Jr. played in 78 of Memphis’ 82 regular season games. However, the Grizzlies revealed that their talented young power forward underwent surgery this offseason to deal with a stress fracture to his foot. The average timetable of recovery from the type of operation he underwent is usually four-to-six months. As a result, the very earliest we could be seeing Jackson return would be some time in mid-to-late November. The worst case scenario for Jackson Jr. and the Grizzlies would be for him to sit out until at least January.
SG Joe Ingles, Milwaukee Bucks (Knee)
Joe Ingles suffered a torn ACL midway through last season and underwent reconstructive knee surgery in late February. He missed the remainder of the 2021-22 season and was acquired by the Bucks this Summer on a one-year $6.5 million contract. The Bucks knew that he wouldn’t be ready to start the 2022-23 season for them. Bucks GM Jon Horst stated that the Bucks are hopeful he could return sometime in December or January as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
C Robert Williams III, Boston Celtics (Knee)
Robert Williams III underwent reconstructive surgery after sustaining a severe knee injury midway through last season. While Williams returned for a limited role by the end of the season and into the playoffs, Williams’ underwent an operation to give him the best chances of staying healthy when he returns. As a result of the operation he underwent this offseason, the Celtics’ big man isn’t expected to suit up until midseason. Boston is hopeful that he will be ready to go at some point in January. It would be surprising if he made a return prior to the New Year.
PG Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (Knee)
Recent reports indicate that Lonzo Ball could be out for another season as no initial timetable for a potential return has been announced. In fact, the Chicago Bulls have legitimately been unable to offer new information regarding Ball’s injury status. While it remains very unclear when or if Ball will return to the Bulls, sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu has earned big minutes to kick off the season. Dosunmu has played in eight of Chicago’s first nine games of the season. In 30.5 MPG, the youngster is averaging 12.5 points (50 FG%), 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He should continue to see this elevated role moving forward this season, as the Bulls scramble to find options to strengthen their backcourt without Lonzo.
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