NBA

Doubt & Out: 20 NBA Players Who Will Miss 2020 Restart

Darren Ryding - July 13, 2020

NBA

Doubt & Out: 20 NBA Players Who Will Miss 2020 Restart

Darren Ryding - July 13, 2020

The NBA will restart the 2020 season in under a month. But it is 2020, so you never know. With the playoffs ahead of us, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the NBA keeps everything running smoothly. Pelicans star Brandon Ingram says he doubts the league will finish. However, at least he’s still going to play. Many players are out and will not come back for a variety of reasons.

First of all, there are several key stars out with season-ending injuries. Then you have players who don’t want to return because of the ongoing health crisis. Indeed, some have already tested positive. Finally, there are a few on the fence. So today we’re going to look at 20 players who are either doubtful or out of the NBA restart. Check out the list via Yahoo Sports below.

20. Trevor Ariza

Ariza has one of the most unique reasons for missing the restart. He doesn’t want to lose visitation rights to see his son this summer. However, the NBA won’t allow family members to join players on the NBA’s Disney campus until the end of August.

Jaylen Adams will take Ariza’s spot on the Portland Trail Blazers’ roster. Ariza may be entering his last season with Portland, but family comes first. Any parent reading this will surely respect his choice, especially because he isn’t a guaranteed starter. In short, he’s probably doing the right thing.

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19. Bojan Bogdanovic

At least the Utah Jazz have had a lot of time to prepare for the restart without Bogdanovic. He is absolutely a key player but they knew that his wrist surgery was coming. It’s unfortunate that he’ll miss out on all of their games because he’s Utah’s second-highest scorer.

The injury had definitely affected him. He averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game this season. However, opponents held him to single-digit scoring totals in three of his past seven appearances. Even if he could play through the pain, he wouldn’t be as effective with the wrist injury compromising him.

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18. Darius Miller

The New Orleans Pelicans forward will not travel with his team to Orlando because of injury. Miller is recovering from Achilles surgery so he won’t be available ahead of the restart. Instead, Miler will remain in New Orleans to continue his rehabilitation.

Miller, 30, has missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season with the injury. He averaged 8.2 points and 2.1 assists in 69 games during the 2018-19 season, largely coming off the bench. In sum, they can’t really miss what they didn’t have in the first place. It’s been a frustrating year for Miller.

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17. Lou Williams

He’s not officially out yet, but Williams is definitely a doubt ahead of the restart. The LA Clippers star won the NBA Sixth Man Award in 2019. His absence would be massive for the Clippers ahead of their games with their rivals, the LA Lakers.

Right now, Williams says that he is ’50-50′ about returning during the current social climate. In short, the combination of the current health crisis and social unrest in the United States has affected many NBA players. Williams may play, but will he be as effective with all of this on his mind?

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16. Dwight Powell

The Dallas Mavericks star is one of at least four players out of the restart. However, fans knew that this was coming in Powell’s case because he tore his Achilles in January. He is still rehabilitating his injury and is out for the remainder of the season.

However, with a growing list of absent players, it would have been helpful if he was available. Other franchises have benefited from the extended break, like the Toronto Raptors. Unfortunately, the Mavericks will come out of it slightly weaker than before.

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15. Klay Thompson

It’s been a miserable year for the Golden State Warriors but at least Thompson is nearing the end of his recovery. The five-time All-Star tore his ACL in Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. His season has been exceptionally frustrating, but now he’s back on track.

Thompson is out of Orlando because it comes just a bit too soon. However, he will be back in time for next season and says that he is mentally and physically raring to go. It will be fantastic to see him back on the court as the Warriors look to rebuild and emerge as championship contenders again.

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14. Avery Bradley

One of the most interesting players to definitely miss the restart, Bradley ruled himself out of contention. Despite the fact the Lakers are one of the main favorites for the NBA Championship, Bradley doesn’t want to play. There are a number of factors influencing his decision.

First of all, he believes that the restart is taking away from discussions about social justice. Furthermore, another primary reason is the health and well-being of his three children. Bradley thinks that there is a bigger picture outside of professional basketball.

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13. Wilson Chandler

Another absent member of the Brooklyn Nets, Chandler decided not to spend his summer playing basketball. He’ll likely never wear a Nets jersey again because he is an unrestricted free agent when the season ends. Chandler was wary of playing because an injury could cost him a big contract.

Chandler also plans to spend time with his family. First of all, he wants to be with his grandmother, who actually raised him as a young boy. Furthermore, he has three children who he hopes to enjoy his time with during the break. At least the Nets can replace him with Justin Anderson on the wing.

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12. LaMarcus Aldridge

Don’t expect to see Aldridge when the season returns because he is out following shoulder surgery. The 34-year-old played in 53 games for the San Antonio Spurs this season, averaging 18.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. The team will definitely feel his loss.

However, it’s better to fix it now ahead of a new season and a fresh start. The Spurs hope to catch the Memphis Grizzlies in the race for the eighth seed spot in the Western Conference. That may not be possible and they don’t expect to go deep into the playoffs even if they do make them.

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11. Bradley Beal

Let’s be real, first of all, the Washington Wizards are awful this year so there’s not much riding on any of their players traveling to Florida. However, one of their main doubts is Beal. He says that he will go to Orlando but the chances of him actually stepping onto the court are very slim.

Beal’s conditioning is low after injury. It would be a major risk to play him because it would expose him to the chance of potential setbacks. Their hopes of catching the Orlando Magic are almost zero. It would be foolish to risk his health ahead of the new season and a fresh start.

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10. Jeremy Lamb

Victor Oladipo’s injury gave Lamb a lot of game time. He started 42 games as Oladipo recovered from his right quad tendon injury. Lamb averaged 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as he readjusted to a bench role. Then along came an ACL tear and that was it for his season.

Now Oladipo is out of the picture again. This is extremely problematic for the Pacers who lack depth in their squad. Lamb’s injury costs him the opportunity of staking his claim for a starting position. Unfortunately, professional sports are cruel like that.

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9. DeAndre Jordan

Jordan is out of the equation after falling ill during the current health crisis. During the early days of the outbreak, the likes of the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert and Donavon Mitchell got sick. However, with most players following regulations and staying at home, things looked up.

With New York the most affected city in the United States, it should come as no surprise that a couple of the Brooklyn Nets’ players have succumbed. Jordan is now out of Orlando and must stay home for two weeks before he can go outside again.

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8. Spencer Dinwiddie

Like his teammate, Dinwiddle is also out because of the current global health crisis. He fell ill while returning to New York and now must stay at home for two weeks. Obviously, he won’t be game-ready by then, so it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see him play at Disney World.

Dinwiddie was having a career-year for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 20.6 points per game. It’s a disastrous result for the Nets who suddenly find themselves with depleted numbers. However, they’ll just have to make do and carry on for the remainder of the season.

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7. Davis Bertans

The Wizards were awful this season but Bertans had a career year. That’s exactly why he is refusing to play in Orlando because he wants to test free agency. After a history of ACL injuries, he is wary of jeopardizing his health ahead of a potentially massive contract.

Not that the Wizards mind. They still want to re-sign him to a new contract. It’s considered a priority for the franchise because he was excellent this year. A 6’10” forward, Bertans is the Wizards’ second-highest scorer and averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game.

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6. Willie Cauley-Stein

Cauley-Stein won’t play because his wife is pregnant. The Dallas Mavericks star expects the birth of his newborn child in July, so understandably wants to be with his partner during this time. First of all, he doesn’t want to risk her health during this vulnerable period.

With the NBA banning families from the Disney Hub until August, it simply wasn’t possible for Cauley-Stein to balance his commitments. That’s why he chose to put his family first. With a $2.29MM player option for 2020/21, he could still return to Dallas next season.

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5. Courtney Lee

Most NBA teams actually benefited from the unexpected hiatus because it gave injured players a chance to recover. Just take a look at the Toronto Raptors. However, the Mavericks actually lost a player to injury, not even illness. Lee managed to hurt his calf during the break.

After playing in only 10 of the first 50 games for the Mavericks this season, Lee appeared in 14 of their past 17. However, he featured in 14 of the last 17 games, while starting five of the last six. With depleted numbers, Dallas would definitely prefer to have him available.

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4. Thabo Sefolosha

It’s possible that Sefolosha has featured for the final time in a Houston Rockets jersey. He will be an unrestricted free agent next season so he may never play for them again. First of all, he thinks it is too big of a commitment to be away from his family during the current health crisis.

That’s why he’s not going to travel with his team to Orlando. The Rockets could make a dent in the playoffs this year, but they’ll have to do it without him. They intend to sign Luc Mbah a Moute as a replacement player for him. Mbah a Moute knows this team well so it’s a wise move.

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3. Kevin Durant

An Achilles injury suffered last season while playing for the Golden State Warriors ruled Durant out for the season. However, he says that he would probably refuse to play anyway because of the risks involved with the current health crisis. But he didn’t have to make that decision.

Durant says that he with the Brooklyn Nets in spirit no matter what they decide to do. If they are happy to play, then that’s good, but if not, then he is in solidarity with them too. Next season will be big for Durant as he looks to make an impact with his new franchise.

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2. Victor Oladipo

This has been a very frustrating year for Oladipo. Ravaged by injury all year, the All-Star has ruled himself out of the restart. With one eye on a new contract with the Pacers or elsewhere, it’s an understandable reaction from the star guard. even if it disappoints Indiana.

You get the feeling that next season will be a defining one for Oladipo. He does need to improve his shooting accuracy, while he also has to get more physical to take the punishment that he could before. The Pacers want to go to the next level, but is Oladipo the man to bring them there?

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1. Kyrie Irving

Irving has only played 20 games this season with injuries hampering him all year. Finally, a shoulder problem ended his season. He won’t return in Orlando and will continue rehabbing. The Nets aren’t a lock to make the playoffs so it is a blow to miss all of these players.

There was speculation that he would return earlier than planned, but that does not appear to be the case. Instead, he wishes to get back to peak condition for the new season. The Nets could be a different prospect next year after losing a lot of players at different stages.

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Doubt & Out: 20 NBA Players Who Will Miss 2020 Restart

Doubt & Out: 20 NBA Players Who Will Miss 2020 Restart

20. Trevor Ariza

19. Bojan Bogdanovic

18. Darius Miller

17. Lou Williams

16. Dwight Powell

15. Klay Thompson

14. Avery Bradley

13. Wilson Chandler

12. LaMarcus Aldridge

11. Bradley Beal

10. Jeremy Lamb

9. DeAndre Jordan

8. Spencer Dinwiddie

7. Davis Bertans

6. Willie Cauley-Stein

5. Courtney Lee

4. Thabo Sefolosha

3. Kevin Durant

2. Victor Oladipo

1. Kyrie Irving

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