The NBA has a big problem. It’s not the officiating as many people have pointed out in recent weeks or even teams looking to create superteams in an era where we could have finally enjoyed parity.
The biggest problem for the NBA is its stars sitting out games and not being available on the court to put on a show for the fans that pay high ticket prices to get into a game. While it’s something everyone’s realized by following the game, an NBA reporter on Twitter has shared a stat that shows how true this has been.
Josh Eberley took 5 top stars in the NBA and revealed what percentage of games they have played in the last 4 years, with the results proving to be shocking. The players included were Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and Kawhi Leonard.
What’s funny is that AD has been the most available player in this group but has the worst reputation for missing games, being called ‘Day-To-Dayvis’ and ‘Street Clothes’ by fans. He and Kawhi Leonard are the only players here to not have made an All-Star team in the last 2 seasons.
Kyrie Irving often missed games for off-court reasons such as suspensions and vaccine mandates, while Kevin Durant seems to have an ankle injury that sidelines him for a part of the season every year.
Worrying Trend For Zion Williamson?
The other 4 players are established former champions in the NBA that are considered some of the greatest players in the league. Zion Williamson is on his path to that recognition but hasn’t earned it yet. Only playing 39.4% of games in a 4-year career is not a good sign, even if you have been named an All-Star twice in those 4 seasons.
Zion is currently injured and reportedly suffered a setback on his return timeline. The Pelicans have done everything they can to mitigate Zion’s injury issues, but a 4-season sample size of him just being unable to be available should be worrying. Given he’s a player reliant on his athleticism, we might see a short peak for Zion if his injury issues can’t come under control.
He missed most of his rookie season due to a pre-existing injury, playing only 24 games in 2019-20. He dominated through the early part of the season in 2020-21 and became an All-Star, but missed the second half of the season and the entirety of last season.
He started off this season well but has been dealing with a hamstring injury since 2 January. The Pelicans need him to make a championship push and will be hoping he’s back on the court sooner rather than later.
Source: fadeawayworld
