When a key player goes down to injury, that can have a significant impact on a team’s performance — depending on the rest of the roster. When Anthony Davis went down for the Lakers, there was still enough star power, starting with LeBron James, to keep the team out of free fall. When LeBron went down too, though, things got grim. The same thing happened when Golden State lost Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. However, some teams are able to keep the ship afloat, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost Joel Embiid to back issues a few weeks ago but still lead the Eastern Conference.
Which teams have been disappointing their fan base (and their NBA betting supporters) when their stars are on the shelf? Check out our thoughts.
NBA News: Which Teams Have Been Slacking While Their Stars are Injured?
The Dallas Mavericks are a team that really suffers when Luka Doncic is not on the floor. He has missed five games for the Mavericks at various points in the season, and the team has gone 1-4 without him. When Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis had to miss games this past weekend, the Mavericks lost to Indiana and New Orleans — two teams that are well below the Mavericks in terms of overall talent. Even with the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr and Jalen Brunson there to take up the scoring slack, the team droops a bit without Doncic out there, and without that crazy offense, the Mavericks don’t have that defensive consistency to take control in his absence.
The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the top contenders in the West, but the inconsistency that has come whenever Kawhi Leonard has had to miss games due to rest or when Pau George has suffered from foot injuries has kept them from really taking over the conference after the slide of the Lakers. George’s shooting continues to be up and down, and it has not helped that Patrick Beverley’s knee woes have kept him from playing his usual role as a shutdown defender for the Clippers. The team just traded for Rajon Rondo, but the enigmatic point guard has yet to debut for the Clips as he has a nagging groin injury. Having more consistent play across the roster could help Kawhi have more gas in the tank once the postseason arrives.
The Washington Wizards have struggled with Bradley Beal’s hip problems, as they have kept him off the court for extended periods of time and have hampered them when he has been able to play. That has left Russell Westbrook in charge of the offense, and the last player to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season continues to show the limits of his approach. Westbrook brings an unmatched level of effort to the floor, but he also tries to take over the game too often, taking too many contested shots. He does get his assists, but this was a problem that led to him and James Harden parting ways in Houston. Without Beal, Westbrook does not have a second option in the offense, and opposing defenses can focus all their efforts either on Westbrook himself, or daring Westbrook to beat them all by himself, and for the Wizards right now, neither path has proven effective.
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