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You spend the entire summer waiting for NBA basketball to come back. You look at trades, draft picks, and all the hype videos during training camp. For a few awesome months, every fan thinks their team has a chance. Every team is 0-0, your favorite stars are feeling great, and anything seems possible.
Then the season actually starts, and reality hits you right in the face. We are barely a single week into the 2026-27 NBA season, and I hate to say it, but the injury bug is already tearing through the league.
It is so tough to watch. Every time you open your phone or check the scores, another star player is walking off the floor holding their knee or limping back to the locker room. We’re only four or five games into an 82-game marathon, and several major All-Stars and starting players are already facing weeks or months on the bench. A couple of guys might even be done for the entire year before Halloween even gets here.
When you look at who got hurt, it sucks even more because of how awesome these guys were playing. Anthony Edwards was dropping huge numbers and looking like an early MVP favorite before his knee gave out. Jalen Williams suffered a scary leg injury that stopped the whole arena. Paolo Banchero got hurt right after an amazing opening night, Kawhi Leonard is already missing games again, and both the Thunder and Magic somehow lost two starters each in the first seven days.
A lot of these guys have all been All-Stars. Cason Wallace and Jalen Suggs are two of the best perimeter defenders in the whole league. Some of these injuries are worse than others, but all seven leave huge holes that their teams have to fix right now.
Let’s break down what happened to each player, how long they’ll be out, and what it means for their teams moving forward.
Kawhi Leonard coming back to Toronto was supposed to be one of the coolest stories of the new season. Bringing back the guy who led the Raptors to their only NBA championship in 2019 felt like something straight out of a movie. Fans were excited, the front office went all-in to build a good team around him, and the energy in the arena was crazy.
Sadly, basketball can be really unfair. After playing in just two games, Kawhi is already back on the injury report with knee problems. The 35-year-old forward is out because of swelling in his left knee, and Shams Charania reported that he is expected to miss a few weeks.
The Raptors got a little bit of good news when the MRI showed no major structural damage or tears. The team said he will be reevaluated in a week, but if you’ve followed Kawhi’s career, you know a one-week checkup doesn’t mean he’s automatically playing seven days later.
Toronto is playing it super safe, which makes total sense given his injury history. He has dealt with knee issues for years, including a partial ACL tear back in 2021. The main goal is keeping him healthy for the playoffs, even if it costs them a few extra losses in November.
The annoying part is that Kawhi was coming off a great offensive season with the Clippers last year, where he averaged 27.9 points per game and shot over 50% from the field. Doing that at 35 years old is super impressive.
His first two games back with Toronto weren’t super efficient, but he was still doing a bit of everything. He averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals while playing around 26 minutes per night as the team tried to manage his workload.
Toronto won both games when Kawhi played, beating the Bulls and Wizards. But then they got blown out 117-94 by Minnesota after Kawhi was ruled out right before tip-off. Without him, the offense looked stuck and couldn’t find easy shots.
Now, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett have to step up and score way more points. Young guard Ja’Kobe Walter did look good against Minnesota, scoring 22 points with five three-pointers, showing that the bench has some talent.
Toronto is 2-1 and still has enough good players to stay competitive in the East. But losing Kawhi for a few weeks changes their plans. The team traded away Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and picks to get him, then gave him a big $115 million contract extension.
There is no reason to rush him back early for random regular-season games. They brought Kawhi back to win playoff games in the spring, not in November. Toronto just has to hold down the fort until he’s ready.
If you ask NBA fans which injury hurts the most to watch, a lot of people will say Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man was playing some of the most fun, insane basketball in the league to start the year. The Wolves were 3-1, Edwards was averaging 33.3 points a night, and he looked ready to take over as the best player in basketball.
Then the terrible news hit: he needs surgery on his right knee. Shams Charania reported that Edwards will have an arthroscopic procedure to fix lingering knee issues and could miss up to two months. He had been dealing with knee soreness for a bit, and it finally got bad enough that the medical staff decided surgery was the only option.
Jon Krawczynski mentioned that Edwards likely hurt his knee in the season opener against Miami. Because he’s such a competitor, Edwards tried to play through the pain. He even dropped an unbelievable 47 points against Cleveland on Monday night, shooting 19-of-34 in an overtime loss, before the team realized he couldn’t keep going like this.
Now Minnesota has to figure out how to play 25 to 30 games without their absolute best player, and you can’t just replace a guy who was averaging 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 40% from three. He didn’t just score points; he gave the entire team its energy and confidence.
So what do the Wolves do now? LaMelo Ball, who joined the team this summer, is going to have to take control of the offense. He’s averaging 14.8 points and 6.3 assists, but he will need to look to score a lot more while Ant is out.
Jaden McDaniels and Jonathan Kuminga also have to step up on offense, while guys like Ayo Dosunmu will get more minutes on the wing. Rudy Gobert will still lock down the paint, but Minnesota’s main issue will be finding enough scoring in close games.
Edwards averaged nearly 29 points last year and is a top-tier superstar. For a team that wants to win a championship in a stacked Western Conference, losing your top guy for two months is a massive hurdle. Minnesota has enough good players to stay in the playoff picture, but playing without Edwards for this long means the rest of the roster has to work twice as hard.
The Orlando Magic are built on hard work and defense, but they cannot catch a break when it comes to injuries. And Paolo Banchero, their best young star, is hurt again.
During Friday’s loss to Minnesota, Banchero suffered a right high ankle sprain. That kind of injury really sucks because it ruins your ability to jump, cut, and drive aggressively to the rim.
Shams Charania reported that this type of ankle sprain usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to heal. The Magic haven’t set an exact return date, but an MRI confirmed the injury, and the team will be super careful with him.
The worst part is how great Banchero looked right before getting hurt. On opening night against Atlanta, he went crazy with 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists. Through his first two games, he was averaging 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while shooting a crazy 70% from the floor.
After playing 72 games last year and leading Orlando to the playoffs, Banchero looked ready to become a full-blown superstar this season under new head coach Sean Sweeney. Now, the Magic have to run their offense without him.
Franz Wagner will be the main guy on offense now. He proved he can handle it on Sunday against the Knicks, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter alone to carry Orlando to a 111-102 win. Desmond Bane will also get more chances to shoot and playmake, while Tristan da Silva will get extra minutes at forward. Wendell Carter Jr. will also need to score more inside.
The good news? Orlando actually went 7-3 when Banchero missed time last year, showing their defense can keep them in games. But staying winning over a whole month without him is going to be tough. Banchero is 6-foot-10 and draws so much attention from defenders that he creates easy shots for everyone else.
To make things even worse, starting guard Jalen Suggs got hurt just two days after Paolo. Losing two starters in week one is a total bummer, but the Magic are tough enough to hang in there until Banchero returns.
The Thunder are 4-0 and look awesome, but nobody in Oklahoma City is celebrating right now. Their great start was ruined by one of the scariest injuries we’ve seen in a long time.
During Sunday’s win over the Clippers, Jalen Williams went down with a terrible leg injury late in the fourth quarter. He drove to the rim, landed awkwardly, and immediately grabbed his leg in severe pain. You could tell right away it was bad by the look on his teammates’ faces. Medical trainers had to come out and take him off the floor on a stretcher.
Thunder GM Sam Presti confirmed the bad news on Monday: Williams fractured his left fibula and dislocated his left ankle. He needs surgery right away, and while the team hasn’t given an official return date, reports say he will miss several months and might be out for the entire season.
It’s heartbreaking for Williams. He missed a ton of games last year with wrist and hamstring issues, and he was working so hard to stay healthy. Back in 2024-25, he was an All-Star, made an All-NBA team, and helped OKC win the NBA Championship. He is a massive part of why this team is so good.
Through his first three games this year, he was averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while getting back into game shape. Now, OKC has to play without one of their best players for a really long time.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate and Chet Holmgren is a beast, but Williams gave them something special. He can pass, score on his own, run the bench unit, and guard almost any position on the court.
With Williams out, young guard Ajay Mitchell will get way more playing time. Mitchell has looked great so far, averaging 16.0 points a game with a breakout 30-piece against the Suns on Monday night. Jared McCain and Bennet Stirtz will also see more minutes in the second unit.
The Thunder have plenty of depth and talent to keep winning games in the West. But losing a star like Williams lowers their upside, and it puts way more pressure on SGA to carry the offense every single night. And sadly, Williams wasn’t even the only Thunder player to get hurt that night.
Jaren Jackson Jr. hasn’t even played a full month with the Utah Jazz yet, and he’s already stuck on the bench with another major knee injury.
The former Defensive Player of the Year tore the MCL in his right knee during Monday’s loss to his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies. The Jazz announced he will be checked again in six weeks, meaning he’ll likely miss around two months of action.
Jackson hurt his knee in the second quarter and had to head straight to the locker room. He only played 10 minutes, finishing with 6 points and 3 rebounds. This injury is so frustrating because JJJ only played three games for Utah last season after getting traded from Memphis due to surgery on his other knee. He came into this year healthy and averaged 16.3 points and 1.3 blocks through his first four games.
Utah brought in Jackson to be their primary rim protector and a big man who can shoot threes. He won DPOY back in 2023 because he blocks everything near the rim while still being fast enough to guard players on the perimeter, and making matters worse for Utah, star forward Lauri Markkanen sprained his wrist in the same game, and center Jusuf Nurkic is already out with a foot injury.
Just like that, Utah has almost no big men left. Head coach Will Hardy is going to have to use small-ball lineups and play younger guys like Mo Bamba, Jaxson Hayes, and Kyle Filipowski way more minutes while Jackson recovers.
Since the Jazz are coming off a rebuilding phase, there is zero reason to rush Jackson back until his knee is 100% healed. It’s a bummer for Utah fans, but taking it slow is the smartest move for his long-term career.
Remember how bad Sunday night was for the Thunder when Jalen Williams got hurt? It actually got worse. Just hours after finding out about Williams, OKC got more terrible news: starting guard Cason Wallace suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder during that exact same game against the Clippers.
Wallace got hurt in the first quarter after hitting a hard screen. He played just six minutes before going to the locker room with his shoulder hurting, and ended up with 4 points and 2 steals.
Like Williams, Wallace needs surgery and is expected to miss several months, potentially the rest of the regular season, the same fate as Walker Kessler last year. Losing two starting players on the exact same night is a nightmare for any team trying to win a title.
Wallace isn’t a huge scorer, but his defense is massive for OKC. He made the All-Defensive team last year by harassing opposing point guards all game long. He averaged 8.6 points and 1.9 steals last season, shooting 35% from three while taking on the toughest defensive matchups every night.
Before getting hurt, Wallace already had seven steals in just three games this year. His defense was a huge reason why OKC’s defense was holding teams to barely 100 points per game. Now, coach Mark Daigneault has to rely much more on Alex Caruso (who’s injured right now), Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain in the backcourt. Caruso is awesome on defense, but he’s 32 and is out to play tonight against the Mavericks.
OKC is still deep enough to stay near the top of the standings, since they actually beat the Suns 125-114 right after the injury news broke. But losing two elite defensive starters makes their path to another championship much harder.
To cap off a terrible first week of NBA injuries, the Orlando Magic had to watch Jalen Suggs go down grabbing his knee on Sunday night against the Knicks.
Suggs was running the floor on a fast break in the fourth quarter, went up for a layup, and his right knee suddenly buckled without anyone touching him. Seeing a non-contact knee injury is always scary, and Suggs was in obvious pain before needing help to get to the locker room.
Thankfully, the MRI results were much better than expected. Suggs suffered a mild bone bruise in his right knee, with no structural damage or torn ligaments. The Magic announced he will be reevaluated in two weeks, so while he might miss a little extra time, dodging a major tear is a huge relief for Orlando.
Suggs was struggling with his shot early on, but his value comes from his relentless hustle and defense. Last year, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals while making an All-Defensive team. He is the energy leader of the team, setting the tone with his hard fouls, steals, and diving for loose balls.
With Suggs out for a bit, young guard Anthony Black will get a lot more playing time at point guard, while Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane handle most of the scoring with Banchero also out.
Orlando has reached the playoffs three years in a row, but injuries keep messing up their momentum. They have the talent to be a high seed in the East, but they just need their main guys to stay on the floor at the same time.
Tyrese Haliburton just cannot catch a break. After missing the entire 2025-26 season recovering from that devastating torn right Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals against OKC, he finally made his long-awaited return this year. He looked incredible right out of the gate, but now he’s right back on the injury report.
According to Shams Charania, Haliburton is dealing with a left hamstring strain and is expected to miss some time. Coach Rick Carlisle and the medical staff are still evaluating the severity, so there’s no official timeline yet, but everyone is holding their breath hoping it isn’t a long-term setback.
The timing couldn’t be more brutal. Through four games, Hali was right back to his elite self, putting up 21.8 points and 9.5 assists per night while shooting 51.6% from the field. He was sitting second in the entire NBA in assists and completely running the show for Indiana.
Seeing him get hurt again after working so hard for over a year to get back on the floor is just heartbreaking. The Pacers were already banged up with injuries to Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell, and Ben Sheppard, plus Andrew Nembhard dealing with neck stiffness.
Without Hali, Pascal Siakam is going to have to shoulder a massive scoring load, while Nembhard and Quenton Jackson try to fill the playmaking void. Replacing a guy handing out nearly 10 assists a game is virtually impossible.
If there is any silver lining here, it’s that this is a left hamstring issue, completely unrelated to the right Achilles. Still, the Pacers have to be super cautious with their franchise cornerstone. Indiana wanted to bounce back and get back into the playoff picture this season, but just one week in, they are staring down a tough stretch without the guy who makes their entire offense hum.
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