Cleveland has won its first 12 games and is off to the best start in the league. There are 10 teams in the Western Conference with winning records. And somehow, only two teams in the Eastern Conference have winning records.
There is a common dominator on both sides of the ledger: Everybody is hurt. At least it seems that way. Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have yet to play together for Philadelphia.
Khris Middleton hasn’t debuted this season for Milwaukee. Same goes for Kawhi Leonard with the Los Angeles Clippers. New Orleans — already without CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray — is bracing for weeks without Zion Williamson.
Orlando will be missing Paolo Banchero for probably 10 more games, at minimum. Scottie Barnes is sidelined in Toronto. Phoenix's Kevin Durant , Memphis' Ja Morant and Miami's Jimmy Butler are all likely out for a week or two at minimum.
And now Oklahoma City is facing months without Chet Holmgren , who missed what would have been his entire first season, then played every game last season, and now is out. All those big-name injured players are critical to their teams, all of them All-Star or in some cases All-NBA candidates when they’re at their best. “On one hand I know how to approach it, I know what to do, what not to do and how beautiful the other side is,” Holmgren wrote on social media after getting hurt Sunday night.
“But on the other hand I’ve felt the frustration of this process, and the wear it puts on your mind.” By an.
