Basketball Operations Brief

Two-Part piece breaking down nba basketball in san diego and the injury bug plaguing the nba.

gregory spicer – oct 13 2025 – nba preseason

Injuries: The worst part of NBA basketball that has become an increasingly common part of the league’s day-to-day news. Injuries are no longer a freak occurrence affecting the unluckiest teams. Now, every team has the injury bug lurking, and all they can do is wait and see who will fall victim. 

The 2025/26 season hasn’t even started and we already have some elite talent out for the year. Headlining that list are superstars Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton. Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was the most recent victim with a torn ACL putting him out for the entire upcoming season. 

With injuries being prevalent as ever across the NBA, teams are strategizing how to keep players healthy. If organizations aren’t Careful with their athletes, their depth will thin out rapidly.

As a result of this dynamic, teams tend to be extremely cautious in the pre-season. Most players are questionable before the game and starter minutes are limited. Interestingly, the Nuggets haven’t been as cautious with their superstar center, Nikola Jokic. 

Throughout his career, Jokic has suffered from Chronic Right Wrist Pain. The three time MVP has never missed significant time from the injury, but it’s prevented him from finding consistent streaks of health. 

Jokic games played since 2019/20

2019/20 – 73

2020/21 – 72

2021/22 – 74 

2022/23 – 69

2023/24 – 79

2024/25 – 70

During training camp in September, Jokic’s wrist began acting up again. He was seen icing his wrist throughout camp, and was questionable for the Nuggets first preseason game against the Timberwolves in San Diego. 

Usually, questionable status means out in the preseason, but Jokic started the game and played 19 minutes. He tallied:

• 14 PTS
• 5 TRB
• 2 AST
• 4/ 5 FG
• 6/ 6 FT

The people who attended the game, like myself, appreciated Jokic’s time on the court. NBA ticket prices are also on the rise, and the get in number for the San Diego special was 60$. 

On the other hand, this has been a festering injury for Jokic, and I am not sure if it’s worth it for him to try and push through. Shaking the offseason rust is helpful, but for game one, the safer option may have been to rest. 

Jokic went on to play the next two preseason games, and appears to be in good health, so it isn’t an issue this time. Nonetheless, the situation raises questions about injury management in the NBA, and what teams should be doing to keep players healthy. 

According to RotoWire, every team’s roster missed at least 270 games from injury in 2024/25, with the highest being the Brooklynn Nets who had 536 combined missed games. What do organizations need to be doing differently?

More Strategic With Players During Garbage Time

The most famous garbage time incident to date is Derrick Rose in 2012. With the Bulls up 12 and less than two minutes left, his knee buckled, and the rest is painful history. For context, this was a playoff game, but that’s the type of caution organizations need to take. The schedule isn’t getting shorter and players won’t stop dunking, so teams should be a little more strategic with player minutes. If a game is locked in, bring in the bench. 

Additionally, the NBA could start normalizing the use of Per 75/100 Possession stats, so that players are less worried about per game numbers affecting their contracts and playing time. 

Build Around Health, Not Just Fit

Multiple teams have their seasons destroyed by injuries every year. The bug is unavoidable for some organizations, but others tend to set themselves up for failure. Front offices should be cautious when building around high-risk players. Teams like the 76ers have consistently underperformed because their team is built around players who struggle to stay on the court. A team with Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain is not going to play together enough to be successful. 

Instead, teams need to make sure their stars are healthy, and once they have those healthy stars, prioritize depth to keep those players healthy. The OKC Thunder for example, succeeded in building around a durable superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After that, they prioritized adding depth that can compensate for other pieces on their roster being unavailable (Chet Holmgren). They did this by stockpiling draft capital, and then two perfect additions in Alex Caruso and Isiah Hartenstein. Now, OKC is a factory that could push through injuries to any player besides Gilgeous-Alexander 

Who Stays Healthy?

Some players have emerged as “iron men” in the NBA due to their durability. Front offices should identify these athletes and bring them in to surround their superstars. Coincidentally, many of these players have portable skillsets that could fit in any system. 

Buddy Hield

• Although painfully streaky in a large role, his shooting and health make him an easy fit on any team’s bench. 
• Leads the NBA in games played over the last two seasons (166).
• 37% 3PT on 6.7 3PA/G

Mikal Bridges

• The Knicks traded five first round picks for him knowing that he would stay on the court. The most well known “iron man” has lived up to his reputation.
• Holds the active record for consecutive games played: 556 GP
• 17.6 PPG on 59% TS in 2024/25. 

Harrison Barnes

• The former NBA champion has become a reliable veteran. On a better team (currently on the Spurs), his durability would gain more attention. 
• Three consecutive seasons of 82 GP. 
• 51% FG/43% 3PT/81% FT in 2024/25 – Extremely efficient, hovering around 50/40/90.

Nikola Vucevic

• With his floor spacing and durability, Vucevic would be an excellent addition to any contender. 
• By far the most healthy center in the NBA with 158 games played over the last two seasons.
• 18.5 PPG on 40% 3PT and 80% FT. He has a unicorn skillset for a big man.