Can These Top 4 NBA Players Return From Injury?

These NBA Injuries Are Hot Topics 

What NBA Injury Did Zion Williamson Suffer? A Bruised Knee

Zion Williamson is already expected to be the next NBA superstar. This after a scintillating college career. During his short time at Duke, he was must-see tv, all the time.

Zion also plays with a level of physicality that is incredible for a person of his size and age. His rim-shaking dunks are already the stuff of legend.

So when the 2019 NBA summer league kicked off in Vegas, the arena was full. Zion started off slowly but wowed the crowd with a couple of his signature slams. Unfortunately, injury struck when he bumped knees with another player. Zion left the game and didn't return.

Luckily, this wasn't a major NBA injury! According to the Pelicans, Zion is ok. Despite this fact, we'll have to wait until the start of the season to see him. The Pelicans decided to shut him down for the rest of summer league. Good choice. Zion is a young guy and his body will mature even more if you can believe that. Better for the Pelicans to be careful with their future franchise player.


Prognosis: Great

What NBA Injury Did KLAY THOMPSON SUFFER? - Torn ACL

This one hurt to watch if you were a Warriors fan. After Kevin Durant went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon, the "Dubs" were reliant upon Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Could the splash brothers work their magic and bring home another title?

It looked like they might pull it off. But then Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL after falling to the floor. The injury effectively ended the title chase for Golden State. But it didn't stop the Warriors from signing Klay to a new long-term contract.

Will he recover? Sure! We should see Klay back to full strength, though it will be later in the season.

Don't fret, Dubs fans. In this day an age, players can make a full recovery from this injury, and we expect Klay will be back to sticking 3's soon enough.

Prognosis: Good

What NBA Injury Did Victor Oladipo suffer? Ruptured Quad Tendon

When the Indiana Pacers traded for small forward Victor Oladipo, it seemed like a gamble. Scouts thought that he was a talented player, but he hadn't panned out with the OKC Thunder.

But as soon as he got to Indiana, he became their star player. Unfortunately, he went down with a serious knee injury halfway through his second season in Indiana. And although the Pacers rallied without their best player to have a good year, their ceiling was set. A deep playoff run was impossible with VO.

This was a serious injury, the same one that slowed down Tony Parker and Charles Barkley at some point.

We'll keep an eye on this injury, for sure. The Pacers need Oladipo in ordet to take the next step in their development. How successfully he recovers could determine the success of their immediate future.


Prognosis: Hopeful

What NBA Injury did Jusuf Nurkic Suffer? - Tibia/Fibia Fracture

I'm an orthopaedic surgeon in a mountain town. I've worked with more skiers that you can count. So when it comes to tib/fib injuries, I've seen a lot of them. In fact, in the skiing world, we call these injuries "boot-top fractures". They often occur when a skier gets out of control and wrecks hard.

But this is an NBA injury, right? Yes, it is. And it happened to Jusef Nurkic, who was the key big man for the Portland Trail Blazers this year. He went down hard and suffered the injury on a non-contact play. We've seen this injury a couple of times in high-level competitive hoops. (Gordon Hayward and Kevin Ware being the most dramatic.)

So will Nurkic return? You never know about an individual case, but my bet is that we will see him back on the court feeling as good as new. He may start off the season gingerly, but he can get back to full strength.

Prognosis: Good

We Hope to See These NBA Players Back to Full Strength After Their Injuries!

I think with hard work and dedication, all these players can make it back to full strength. Here’s to seeing them back doing their thing soon.

Dr. William Sterett, M.D.

Dr. Bill Sterett is the Head Team Physician for the US Women’s Alpine Ski Team and has been since 1997, with athletes over the years such as Picabo Street, Kristina Koznick, Caroline LaLive, Julia Mancuso and Mikaela Shiffrin. He has served as a US Olympic Committee Team Physician for the past four Winter Olympic Games, with the US Olympic Committee entrusting the care of their athletes to Dr. Sterett in Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver and Sochi.

Dr. Sterett is Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, a member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America, and is one of the few physicians who have earned a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine.

Dr. Sterett has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and has lectured regionally, nationally and internationally on hundreds of occasions over the past twenty years. He currently holds patents on orthopedic devices involved in Joint Preservation and works as a consultant to Arthrex and Biomet sports medicine companies.

Dr. Sterett started the Athletic Training Fellowship Program in Vail, Colorado, and served as its Fellowship Director for 15 years. Additionally, he has served as the Medical Director for the Eagle County School District for 14 years, making daily return-to-play decisions and treating local student athletes. Currently, he serves as the Medical Director for the Vail Valley Surgery Centers and has for the past 12 years.

http://www.drsterett.com
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Alex Morgan: From ACL Injury to World Cup Champion