This article is part of our NBA Injury Analysis series.
The Pistons will begin the year without the services of Jackson, who underwent PRP injections for two separate injuries. Jackson was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his thumb and patellar tendinosis at the start of camp and received the injections to accelerate and facilitate healing in the areas of concern. The thumb sprain isn't overly alarming and should be fine by the completion of Jackson's estimated timeline of six to eight weeks. However, there's plenty of cause for concern surrounding the knee.
To be clear, the term tendinosis is different from tendinitis. Tendinitis is classified as an acute injury when a tendon becomes irritated and inflamed. Tendinitis is often manageable with various forms of treatment and players often learn to play with the condition.
However, tendinosis is classified as a chronic overuse injury and is considered more significant. Tendinosis occurs when a tendon has been damaged and unable to completely heal. The condition is often extremely painful, and the tendon is left weak and unable to properly function. As a result, tendinosis requires a considerably longer recovery time. Jackson could easily miss the first 20 games of the season and will return with an elevated level of inherent injury risk.
The Sixers will start the season in a familiar place with their top draft pick sidelined. This season it's Simmons who suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The metatarsals are the long bones of the foot that serve as the transition between
The Pistons will begin the year without the services of Jackson, who underwent PRP injections for two separate injuries. Jackson was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his thumb and patellar tendinosis at the start of camp and received the injections to accelerate and facilitate healing in the areas of concern. The thumb sprain isn't overly alarming and should be fine by the completion of Jackson's estimated timeline of six to eight weeks. However, there's plenty of cause for concern surrounding the knee.
To be clear, the term tendinosis is different from tendinitis. Tendinitis is classified as an acute injury when a tendon becomes irritated and inflamed. Tendinitis is often manageable with various forms of treatment and players often learn to play with the condition.
However, tendinosis is classified as a chronic overuse injury and is considered more significant. Tendinosis occurs when a tendon has been damaged and unable to completely heal. The condition is often extremely painful, and the tendon is left weak and unable to properly function. As a result, tendinosis requires a considerably longer recovery time. Jackson could easily miss the first 20 games of the season and will return with an elevated level of inherent injury risk.
The Sixers will start the season in a familiar place with their top draft pick sidelined. This season it's Simmons who suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The metatarsals are the long bones of the foot that serve as the transition between the bones of the midfoot and the bones of the toe. The fifth metatarsal is located at the base of the pinkie toe and serves as an anchor for multiple muscles. Fifth metatarsal fractures are an increasingly common injury in the NBA, with notable players including Brook Lopez, Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings, and C.J. McCollum suffering the injury in recent seasons.
However, not all fractures are the same. In metatarsal fractures, treatment and recovery are generally predicated on the type and location of the break. Simmons' injury has been classified as an acute Jones fracture. The term acute means the injury occurred when Simmons forcibly inverted his foot. The Jones fracture designation means the break is located near the base of the bone. Unfortunately, this area receives limited blood flow, prolonging the healing time. Surgery can help and can minimize the odds of a nonunion or delayed union. Still, it's not a guarantee and hardware issues are common. For example Lopez, Glen Davis and several other players needed a follow-up procedure to add new screws to the area, which added to their time missed. Durant's fractured fifth also needed multiple surgeries, including a bone graft, after the hardware in his foot began to irritate a neighboring bone.
As a result, Simmons' debut remains in limbo. While the team has announced an expected three month recovery, the odds of a setback remain high. Given Philadelphia's propensity to protect their young picks, don't be surprised if he remains out longer than expected. He remains a solid addition in dynasty and keeper leagues but his one-year value takes a big hit.
Simmons isn't Philadelphia's only problem, as big man Nerlens Noel recently underwent surgery on his left knee. During his recovery from a strained left groin, it was discovered that Noel was also experiencing soreness in his knee attributed to an inflamed plica. Plica are the remnants of a specialized membrane present in the fetal development of the knee. They generally are reabsorbed during development but occasionally will remain, resulting in folds. Various mechanisms of injury can result in the plica becoming inflamed, which can then result in other more problematic issues. As a result, the best course of action is surgical excision. Surgery is accompanied by a quick recovery, and Noel should be back in action in three to five weeks. The injury should open the door for extra minutes for Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid, though the team had hoped to limit their workloads as the season commenced.
Fast Breaks
Anthony Davis: The often-injured All-Star will be available to start the season despite suffering a moderate ankle sprain in the preseason. He remains a top-rated fantasy player when healthy, but the latest injury is a reminder that the Brow has never played 70 games in a professional season.
Derrick Favors: The Utah big man has been limited for a majority of training camp and the preseason with a knee injury. Favors was diagnosed with a bone contusion, a problematic injury for the knee. Based on the biomechanics of the knee, bone contusions to the area often require additional time to heal. While Favors could be available for Tuesday's opener in Portland, the Jazz don't play again until Friday. The break could allow Utah to wait a game to ensure Favors' problem is completely behind him. As a result, his value in Week One could be limited. Fortunately, his long-term status is no longer uncertain.
Danny Green: The Spurs will be without Green for roughly three weeks after he strained his left quadriceps. The quad is a muscle group on the anterior aspect of the thigh and comprises four different muscles. It plays a role in hip flexion and knee extension, and is a key component in running and jumping. Still San Antonio has one of the best medical staffs in the NBA, so it wouldn't be overly surprising if Green returns ahead of schedule.
Chandler Parsons: Parsons relocated from Dallas to Memphis in the offseason. The Grizzlies opted to give the 27-year-old forward a max contract despite the fact that he has undergone two knee surgeries on his right knee in the past two seasons. The first surgery was considered more serious as he underwent a "hybrid" microfracture procedure to address a cartilage injury within the knee. He was able to play in 61 games with Dallas following the surgery but again saw his season prematurely end after tearing one of the menisci in the same knee. Parsons has been an active participant in recent practices, but his status for the opener remains unknown. Given that he hasn't played at a high level in months, fantasy owners in weekly formats should consider other options.
Jared Sullinger: Sullinger is dealing with a fifth metatarsal injury as well. He is slated to undergo surgery to stabilize a stress reaction in the bone. An estimated timeline of recovery likely will be released following the procedure. Sullinger's minutes will likely fall to Patrick Patterson and could test the health of DeMarre Carroll, a player who was supposed to have his minutes monitored to start the year.
