Every season, there are a handful of NBA teams who look invincible on paper, only to come up short in the regular season or playoffs because of the dreaded injury bug. Aspirations of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June turn into nightmarish situations because of injuries to one, two, or even a host of key rotation players.
While the history of the league is filled with examples of teams that came up short in this regard, the past few years have produced some glaring examples. These teams were by no means perfect in terms of their in-game execution, but the injuries that plagued their rosters guaranteed that they would have a Herculean task to overcome.
Top 3 recent NBA teams with worst injury luck
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LA Clippers
On more than one occasion in recent memory, the LA Clippers have been cited as title contenders. To their credit, they’ve added high-quality, two-way pieces and placed their faith in the championship-caliber tutelage of Ty Lue. So why have the Clippers never reached the Finals in the last five years?
For as gifted as Kawhi Leonard is, he’s gotten injured time and time again since joining the Clippers in the 2019-20 season. Worse, some of his injuries came during inopportune times, including the Clippers’ 2021 playoff run in which they reached the 2021 Western Conference Finals. In addition, ex-Clipper Paul George also had his injury mishaps during his stint in Tinseltown.
Philadelphia 76ers
Unfortunately for George’s fans, they’ve also had to endure extended periods of his absence in his next team. During PG13’s first season with the Philadelphia 76ers, the once-mighty Eastern Conference playoff contender crumbled into a lottery team, largely due to injuries sustained by George and franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid.
Sixers supporters, of course, are all too familiar with injury-laden seasons, particularly during the period known as “The Process.” Those haunting echoes of a decade ago appear to have resurfaced in the 2024-25 season, when Embiid, George, and even All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey were hobbled with injuries.
Milwaukee Bucks
With less than a month to go before the 2025 playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks had a chance to secure homecourt advantage for the first round, at the very least. Then, they were struck by devastating news: Damian Lillard had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, and he would be sidelined indefinitely.
Milwaukee would buck Lillard’s absence — thanks in large part to their MVP contender Giannis Antetokounmpo — but terrible luck would befall them once again in the first round. Though Lillard had played Games 2 and 3 against the Indiana Pacers, he sustained a non-contact injury in the first quarter of Game 4. This injury is feared to be a torn Achilles, sidelining Lillard for the foreseeable future and possibly dashing the Bucks’ hopes of going on a deep playoff run.
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Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado
