Through Week 5 of the NLL, we’ve seen many stars go down, from the midseason injuries to the season ending injuries.  This is a list of some of the effects that the injuries have played on the standings this year, along with some advanced stats to go along with it.  By no means is this all-inclusive, every injury isn’t included, only the ones seriously impacting a team’s ability to compete. 

Boston Celtics

Major Injuries: Kevin Durant, Josh McRoberts, Lance Stephenson

Kevin Durant not being available for large portions of this season has hurt the Celtics.  First he was out with a broken leg, then an ankle.  So far, Boston is a blistering 8-1 with Durant on the floor with the only loss being a close one to powerhouse Philly.  It seems Boston is poised to be a top contender in the East if only KD can stay healthy.  Lance going down is bad for Boston, as he is one of the top 3 point shooters, is averaging 18, 5 and 5, and they were 11-2 with him.  Lance needs to stay healthy with KD too make this Boston team complete. McRoberts going down hurts them, but as he was only averaging 3.4 PPG, this was a minimal impact.

Charlotte Hornets

Major Injuries: Eric Gordon

Charlotte lost Gordon to a shoulder injury before the season even began.  This is hard news for the Hornets who were relying on him as their big scoring option.  Without Gordon in the lineup, the Hornets have gone 7-12, which is rather remarkable considering his importance to their backcourt. 

Chicago Bulls

Major Injuries: Andrew Bogut,Taj Gibson

Bogut with down with a knee injury after just two weeks of play.  Averaging 11 RPG and 1.1 BPG, this is a big loss to Chicago’s defense as his backup, Boris Diaw is only averaging 8.4 RPG and 0.7 BPG.  Surprisingly, Taj Gibson being gone is having a larger effect, as Chicago is 4-2 with Taj and 5-7 without him.  Taj is averaging 14 PPG, 12 RPG, and 1.3 BPG, which are career numbers for him.  If Chicago can get both these guys playing together, lookout for they will have one scary frontcourt!

Cleveland Cavaliers

Major Injuries: Tony Parker

Parker being gone hasn’t stopped these guys from rolling, they are 10-2 with him and 4-1 without him.  Rodney Stuckey has stepped in nicely to fill Parkers roll while the team waits for his recovery.  

Dallas Mavericks

Major Injuries: Carmelo Anthony, George Hill 

Melo is averaging 26.8 PPG on 50% shooting, which is helping keep Dallas in the top of the standings.  He’s only missed 8 games, but Dallas is an average 4-4 without him, while they are 8-3 with him.  Look for Dallas to surge up the standings as Carmelo continues to scorch.  George Hill just started playing this week, and he’s looking to shoot, averaging over 20 shots a game in his first two.  It remains to be seen if he is going to play better than his backup, D.J. Augustin did in his extended absence.

Milwaukee Bucks

Major Injuries: DeMarcus Cousins

Boogie Cousins has only played in 4 games, but oh what a week that was!  He averaged 17 points, 15 rebounds on 63% shooting!  The Bucks are doing pretty well without him, as MVP candidate Russell Westbrook is taking care of things.  However, the Bucks were 4-0 with Cousins in the lineup, and they are 9-7 with him injured.  Look out for when he gets back, it’s clear the Bucks will be a top contender.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Major Injuries:  Paul George, J.R. Smith

It’s hard to tell how good the T-Wolves would be with Paul George as they basically revamped their entire roster in the offseason.  George would be a welcome addition with Chris Paul and J.R. Smith together.  Smith was averaging almost 32 PPG before going down, however it hasn’t changed their fortunes much.  Minnesota is 3-6 with Smith and 3-6 without him.  The only constant on this team seems to be Chris Paul, but next year, the Timberwolves are poised to be an elite force.

New Orleans Pelicans

Major Injuries: Nikola Pekovic

The Pelicans traded Goran Dragic away before the season started for what they hoped would be a solid starting Center to go with Tristan Thompson.  It hasn’t worked out that way, as Pekovic hasn’t played a game since going down with an ankle injury.  Don’t look for him to return soon, as he just starting to run on it. 

Orlando Magic

Major Injuries: Ricky Rubio

Orlando has had some bad luck, as they traded away Jeff Green for Rubio, and Ricky immediately goes down with an ankle injury.  On top of this, top draft pick Joel Embiid is obviously out for the season.  Orlando is at the bottom of the standings so far with just 3 wins, however they recently shook things up acquiring Chris Bosh and Marcus Smart.  Hopefully things turn around for this franchise, and is anyone else frightened of Embiid and Bosh playing together?

Philadelphia 76ers

Major Injuries: Entire Team? (Joking, just seems like it), Demar Derozan, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Martin, Jabari Parker

Philly has been ravaged by injuries this year, and most speculate the team doctors and trainers already have one foot out the door.  It’s impossible to analyze the effect of each injury as their starting lineup has been changing so much.  It hasn’t seemed to hurt them too bad, as they are 17-3 so far.  It seems all you need is Damian Lillard on your team, and it doesn’t quite matter who else is around.  We are all scared of this team when it’s at half strength, god help us all when they get healthy.

Portland Trailblazers

Major Injuries: Dwight Howard

D12 has only played in 5 games thus far, and has averaged an underwhelming 13 points, 12 rebounds and 1 block.  This is not what you’d expect from a superstar of his caliber, and is probably why DjDrew is shopping him around.  Portland is slightly better off with Dwight though, as they are 2-3 with him, and 4-9 without him.  Hopefully Dwight will recover and start to play to his full potential.

Sacramento Kings

Major Injuries: David Lee

David Lee just came back for week 5, and so far so good, the Kings are 3-0 with him while he’s averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds.  They weren’t too bad without him at 11-7, but he is a welcome addition.  If things keep up, they may never lose another game!

Toronto Raptors

Major Injuries: Anderson Varejao

Varejao just went down for the season with a torn Achilles, which is a shame as he was playing well for the Raptors.  It remains to be seen how this will play out, but Toronto seems to have filled the void with a certain German sharpshooter.  Good job at managing injuries, but sad that Anderson is done for the season.