And the award for Most Unreliable Player of the Year goes to…

It’s been a year now since Murray’s torn ACL injury, and the Nuggets guard still doesn’t seem close to making a return. I know injuries come with the territory, but it’s interesting to think where the Nuggets could have been this year with Murray for even the last month or two of the season.

Ever since Kevin Durant’s “calf” injury in Golden State wound up being a torn Achilles, it seems players and teams are taking their time with certain injuries. The usual ACL recovery time is around nine months or so. Everyone is different, and I get that, but I think the Nuggets and Murray are simply taking it slow.

Following Leonard’s ACL tear in the second round of last year’s playoffs against the Utah Jazz, we knew it would be a long time before we saw him back on the floor for the Clippers. Initially, I thought we might see him work his way back after the All-Star. But as time moved on and the following season rolled around, I thought back to his San Antonio days and the issue with his quad injury. By late December, I’d already conceded that we wouldn’t see Kawhi in uniform this year, and we didn’t.

I won’t give Wall too hard of a time since he only did what he was asked to do. The Rockets told John to stay home before the season started and still paid him over $40 million this season. Hey, it’s not a bad gig if you can find it.

Wall isn’t higher on this list because Houston willingly shut him down in hopes of trading him, which never happened. I’m sure at any point had he been asked to come back, he probably would have. But Wall has now missed two of the last three years and played 40 games over that period. Whenever Wall returns to an NBA court, he should be well-rested and ready to ball for whatever team he’s on at that time.

After the bubble championship in 2020 for the Lakers, Davis was supposed to take over and become the man in LA, but things haven’t worked out that way. Davis has been more injured than healthy since winning the title in Orlando. Last season AD suited up in only 36 games, and this year he played in 40.

With rumors of him coming into the year out of shape, it makes you wonder how much longer his Lakers run will last. Even when Davis played this season, it didn’t look or feel the same as in years prior. Davis sitting on the sideline out of action has become such a regular occurrence that Charles Barkley began calling him Anthony “Street Clothes” Davis during TNT broadcasts. Something needs to change for Davis; otherwise, his time in Hollywood may end soon.

Zion missed the whole season with a foot injury, and unfortunately, there is a recurring theme here. I know it’s been due to injury, but as the No. 1 overall pick, the franchise needs him to quickly get on track. In Williamson’s first three years in the NBA, he’s missed 48, 21, and 82 games in those seasons. Thus far, Williamson has played in just 85 of a possible 226 games.

Even if he doesn’t plan to stay in New Orleans long-term, Zion’s got to get healthy if he plans to go elsewhere. It all goes hand in hand. When he plays, he’s great, as evident last season when he averaged 27 points per game and 7.2 rebounds. The kid can ball. He just needs to get past these injuries and become the superstar the Pelicans envisioned upon drafting him.

Let’s not forget that Joel Embiid had a similar issue with foot injuries early in his career. Embiid didn’t play a single game during his first two years as a professional and look at him now. He’s an All-NBA selection, All-Star, and could take home his first MVP trophy this year. So, there is still some hope in New Orleans.

I wanted to rank Harden higher on this list but couldn’t bring myself to do it because he’s been primarily available physically, even if he isn’t always in the best shape. But Harden did throw in the towel in Brooklyn and got himself traded to Philly within a year of doing the same thing to the Houston Rockets.

Then you just can’t trust him to show up in big games when his team really needs him. We saw it for years in Houston, and we saw it again in Philadelphia at the end of the season. Just wait; he’s going to break your hearts in the postseason, Philly. I’ve debated people about this, and I don’t care that he’s won three scoring titles and an MVP award. When it’s nut-cutting time, he’s not the guy I’m counting on to get it done.

Goodness gracious, Kyrie Irving. Damn near everything that could be said has been said about Irving over the last six months. I’ll spare you an entire rehash of his season, but if you want that, check out our Kyrie archives for a better picture of the year that was for Kyrie.

Anytime a professional sports franchise isn’t sure from day to day if a player is going to show up or even be eligible to play, that’s a tough position. But that’s been the deal with Irving and the nets going back to last season, but it was amplified during the 2021-22 campaign because of Kyrie’s vaccination status.

Let me say this first. This has nothing to do with Simmons’ mental health and whatever he’s dealing with in that arena. The fact remains that Ben was a part of two teams this season and played in zero games. He got what he wanted and was traded out of Philly to Brooklyn on Feb. 10, and two months later, he still hasn’t played. And this whole back injury is a little over the top. Sure, anyone can hurt their back at home or wherever but come on. Simmons hasn’t played all year, and now the last two months, he’s dealing with a back injury.

They keep teasing fans by leaving his status up in the air, but we know he probably will not play this year no matter how deep the Nets go in the playoffs. The team trots head coach Steve Nash out to press conferences to answer questions, and he knows about as much on Ben’s status as the drunk guy sitting at the top of Barclay’s.

The Simmons trade was made for next season, and Brooklyn is apparently alright with that. It’s not like they have a choice in the matter. Damn, Durant’s two most high-profile teammates finished first and second for Most Unreliable Player.