What to expect from 12 players returning from injury in 2023-24
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham was limited to 12 games last season due to a stress fracture in his left shin.
Hope springs eternal, the poet said, though in the NBA, autumn is the season of renewal.
Here are a dozen players who are hoping for and working toward a healthier 2023-24 season. More appearances and more minutes can mean more victories, more accolades and more fun all around. It all starts with showing up, night after night, a challenge last season for these 12:
1. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson’s fourth NBA season looked all too similar to his first three once a right hamstring injury shut him down after just 29 games. The charismatic Duke product has appeared in just 114 of a possible 308 games since arriving as The Next Big Thing as the overall No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.
What to expect: It’s not just a matter of having Williamson available for 60+ games (a threshold he has reached just once). More than anyone else on this list, he needs to send a message starting on Opening Night that this season will be different. The Pelicans were 25-16 halfway through the schedule, then spiraled to a 17-24 finish with Williamson sidelined. Getting better 3-point production would make him double dangerous inside, if he’s there to benefit.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Pelicans @ Grizzlies (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
2. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Cunningham’s shin injury cost him all but 12 games and required surgery, which cost him and the Pistons a strong second season together. It threw off Detroit’s development of its young roster, forcing Jaden Ivey to take over more of the offense creation.
What to expect: A long, optimistic offseason that included some notable Select Team USA work by Cunningham still saw some cloud cover in the preseason when he dealt with quad tendinitis. But Detroit remains confident the 6-foot-6 guard will run its show with the ball in his hands while pestering opponents with his defense and wingspan. The next frontier: Having it translate into winning.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Pistons @ Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
3. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Chet Holmgren was forced to miss all of his first season with the Thunder with a right foot injury.
Suffering a Lisfranc injury in his right foot before 2022’s training camp even began, the 7-foot-1 center is essentially a redshirt rookie. The six guys drafted immediately before and after the No. 2 pick averaged more than 77 games last season. Holmgren’s still at zero.
What to expect: Holmgren didn’t play last season but he did get a valuable, extended rookie orientation. He was around the Thunder all year, in the gym on practice days, in film study and more. Then he showed what he learned in a Vegas summer cameo and in tune-up games this month. OKC is thrilled to plug a legitimate center back into its game plan for both ends. Meanwhile, Holmgren could push Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama in the ROY race.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Thunder @ Bulls (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
4. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Herro broke his hand in the playoff opener against Milwaukee and spent Miami’s run to the Finals on the sideline in a bucket hat. Then came a summer in which he was rumored to be headed to Portland for Damian Lillard – if only the Blazers had valued him enough to do the deal.
What to expect: Herro’s hand is healed, as he showed with 22 points on 22 shots in 23 minutes in the Heat’s preseason opener. He will try to make Miami fans forget about Lillard by playing with added fire inside. The former Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year also will be looking to attack more, boosting his trips to the foul line beyond last season’s 2.7 per game.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Pistons @ Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
5. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Ankle sprains followed by an ankle fracture waylaid Ball’s third NBA season. He played 36 games between Dec. 14 and Feb. 27 but only three before and none after in a tease of a season (23.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 8.4 apg).
What to expect: Whether it was a permanent change or a short-lived precaution, Ball returned to action this fall wearing ankle braces. Whether that costs him any of his explosiveness and creativity remains to be seen, but Charlotte desperately needs that guy. They were much more potent with him, upping their pace and their watchability. Since his rookie season, Ball has gone from averaging 5.1 3-point attempts to 10.6 and his success rate (38.4%, two years combined) justifies it.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Hawks @ Hornets (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
6. Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets
After missing much of the last 2 seasons, Ben Simmons looks to make an impact for the Nets in 2023-24.
Back problems continued to hamper Simmons last season. He was limited to 42 games on top of his lost 2021-22 season when he held out and eventually was shipped from Philadelphia to Brooklyn in a deal long on drama but short on basketball results for the Nets.
What to expect: Glimpses of Simmons in October games hinted at a comeback of the former No. 1 pick who was a formidable, three-time, two-way All-Star in his first four seasons. Maybe the spotlight has dimmed enough that Simmons can be comfortable again, perhaps ramping up his effort instead of picking his spots. One area to watch: After getting up 12.3 shots per 36 minutes in his Sixers’ days, he took just 7.7 last season.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Cavaliers @ Nets (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
7. Steven Adams, Memphis Grizzlies
Update (Oct. 22): Steven Adams requires season-ending knee surgery.
Memphis was 31-15 when Adams suffered a sprained anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. His timeline to return got extended more than once and he never made it back, with the Grizzlies finishing 20-16 before losing in six games in the first round to the Lakers.
What to expect: The Grizzlies’ summer started early but Adams’ injury still limited him as camp opened. His return to health is essential: Until the big man got hurt, Memphis ranked second in rebound percentage and offensive rebound percentage. After, they were 25th in the former and 22nd in the latter. His presence also frees up Jaren Jackson Jr., last season’s Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as a shot-swatting help defender.
8. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Towns suffered a Grade 3 calf sprain in late November that cost him Minnesota’s next 52 games over nearly four months. He returned to play eight more before the Wolves got eliminated in five games from their first-round series against Denver.
What to expect: Getting the season gutted from Towns turned 2022-23 into one big false start for Minnesota in its double-big tandem of Towns and Rudy Gobert. That turns this into a make-or-break season for the pair, along with coach Chris Finch, in finding the best ways for the two All-Star caliber big men to complement each other on the floor. The key for Town will be defending forwards out on the floor while being a little more selfish in seeking his scoring chances.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Timberwolves @ Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
9. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Middleton managed only 33 appearances last season, nursing a sore right knee from the 2022 playoffs and a left wrist that required surgery that summer. This summer he got the knee surgically repaired. And still, his activity and availability in the preseason have been reduced.
What to expect: Middleton might be the Bucks player most in the spotlight this season. Teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have the league buzzing in anticipation of their two-man game, but Middleton can be that third weapon who makes it all work. He might get the most open looks of his career if he can stay on the court. His history, age (32) and mileage argue against great resiliency.
Target return date: Oct. 26 – Sixers @ Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
10. Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic
Isaac’s medical history looks like a sports injury greatest hits catalog, with a torn left adductor the mishap that shut his previous comeback down after just 11 games last winter. That surgery was relatively minor compared to the torn ACL he suffered in the Orlando bubble in 2020.
What to expect: With just 11 appearances in the past 38 months, the No. 6 pick in the 2017 Draft has lowered the bar on expectations. Now people will be impressed if he is able to start this season (and stay) healthy. At his best, Isaac was a tenacious, intimidating defender. For now, being a participant – he had modest reserve minutes in the preseason – is enough.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Rockets @ Magic (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
11-12. Kawhi Leonard / Paul George, LA Clippers
The Clippers have proven to be much better when both Paul George (left) and Kawhi Leonard are on the floor together.
These two are a tandem here, a nod to their value together. With both, the Clippers’ record for the past four seasons is 83-35. With one or neither, just 79-91. But Leonard’s offseason surgery to clean up a meniscus tear and George’s summer rehabbing a sprained knee have them both reportedly ready for Opening Night.
What to expect: Neither of the elite, two-way wing players were involved at the end of last season. George missed the final 14 games plus the first-round loss to Phoenix, while Leonard was shut down after Game 2 against the Suns. It was a dreary end, which explains how two healthy stars had the Clippers so buoyant this month. How they and their team navigate the NBA’s new player participation policy remains to be seen, but keeping Leonard and George on the floor elevates the whole squad.
Target return date: Oct. 25 – Trail Blazers @ Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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