The second round of the NBA playoffs is underway and for anybody that forgot about the dangers that could be incurred throughout the postseason, this article serves as another stark reminder. A number of key players on legitimate contenders suffered injuries that will keep them out of either part of or all of the second round and it’s worth keeping a close eye on these injuries from a fantasy perspective. Here is a quick look at four key injuries to be wary of in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
PG: Jeff Teague, Atlanta
The All-Star point guard has led the Atlanta offense all season as a player that is finally getting the credit that he deserves but an ankle sprain in Game 5 of the Hawks opening round series against the Brooklyn Nets has somewhat clouded his status moving forward. Teague was able to play in the very next game but he was limited to just 24 minutes of action and he went scoreless from the field on 0-for-5 shooting. He seemed to struggle again in a Game 1 loss to the Washington Wizards when he was 4-for-14 from the field in 34 minutes of playing time. Clearly, he’s going to have to play through it but you can tell that this is hampering his performance. In the playoffs, he’s averaging just 13.7 points per game on 37.8% from the field. Those are both way down from his regular season averages.
PG: Chris Paul, Los Angeles
Paul’s dominant performance that helped sink the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs was even more impressive considering he was dealing with a hamstring injury that required an MRI after the game. No structural damage was revealed but Paul was hobbled towards the end of the game despite finishing strong in a game in which he scored 27 points with six assists, two rebounds, two steals, a block and five three-point shots. The problem is that Paul is listed as a game-time decision for Game 1 against the Houston Rockets. While he could play every bit as well as he did in Saturday’s Game 7, there is no way of knowing if and when he could aggravate the injury and end up on the sidelines.
PG: Mike Conley, Memphis
Memphis was able to wrap up its first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers without Conley after he suffered multiple facial fractures but while that might have been a good story, they likely won’t have a shot at beating the Golden State Warriors in the second round without him. Conley did not play in Game 1 against the Warriors after the swelling around his face agitated him in warm-ups and he is unlikely to play in Game 2 on Tuesday. Even if he plays, Conley isn’t a smart fantasy option at least for the next couple of games unless he can prove the injury won’t affect him. It’s still worth keeping a close eye on his status when betting the spreads in that series moving forward.
C: Kevin Love, Cleveland
It was originally thought that Love would miss a couple of weeks after having his shoulder dislocated by Kelly Olynyk in the opening round but he was forced to undergo surgery on the arm last week and the projected recovery time for the injury is set at four-to-six months. That means there is no chance we will see Love for the rest of the postseason, so rather than keeping an eye on his individual status, it’s worth watching how the Cleveland Cavaliers perform without him. The Cavaliers are still a dangerous team with LeBron James leading the way but it will be interesting to see if they can get the job done against the Chicago Bulls with Tristan Thompson apparently set to take Love’s spot in the starting lineup with Shawn Marion and James Jones potentially in line for more playing time depending on what head coach David Blatt decides to do in this series. Thompson should provide a solid fantasy pick throughout the rest of the playoffs as he is a reliable rebounder who should see his points per game average spike now in his starter’s role.
