We're in the final weeks of the NBA offseason before teams gather for training camp ahead of the Oct. 22 opening date for the 2024-25 season.
Several All-Stars and key players will be looking to bounce back after seeing their 2023-24 campaigns mitigated due to a series of injuries and ongoing setbacks. That includes players who were hurt midseason, such as Julius Randle of the New York Knicks and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, as well as stars who have continually struggled to complete a full season, such as LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets and Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers.
Many of these key players return to rosters primed to make a deep playoff run, while others return to teams that are preparing for the future and still face plenty of questions. Our NBA experts broke down where 12 key players stand in terms of their injury status, who is poised to make a notable return and what to expect heading into training camp.
Julius Randle | Forward
After suffering a dislocated right shoulder during a game in late January, Randle, a three-time All-Star forward, never returned to the Knicks' lineup. Randle and the Knicks initially held off on surgery in hopes he could return for the postseason, but ultimately opted to have him undergo season-ending surgery in April.
Randle said his recovery is going well and he is expected to be ready to play near the start of the season. Randle's return will be a welcome addition to a Knicks team that went 11-1 and outscored opponents by 202 points in the 12 games in which he, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby played. –Chris Herring
Mitchell Robinson | Center
A healthy Robinson can unlock a lot for what figures to be another physically imposing Knicks roster. But that hasn’t always been the easiest thing for New York. Robinson is perennially one of the NBA’s best offensive rebounders and a solid rim protector. But he missed 50 regular-season games because of a sore left ankle from December to March (a stretch in which he lost his starting job to Isaiah Hartenstein) before putting together a shocking postseason performance.
The player was in too much pain to play in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers and former MVP Joel Embiid, but then needed surgery on his left ankle and was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs. New York lost Hartenstein in free agency and won't have enough players at center, so Robinson's health will be even more important. That gives the Knicks extra incentive to take their time with Robinson's rehab, even if it means he's not ready for training camp or the start of the season. — Herring
Lonzo Ball | Guard
It’s been more than two years since his last NBA game, and Ball finally appears to be on track to play this season. He’s been increasing his on-court activity this summer and began playing in five-on-five games for the first time last month. But the second pick in the 2017 draft hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since January 2022 after undergoing three different knee surgeries, including a cartilage transplant.
The Bulls have been optimistic that Ball will play this season, but they haven't revealed a plan for how they'll get him back on the court. And they'll have to figure out how he fits into a crowded backline that includes Zach LaVine, Josh Giddey, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. –Jamal Collier
Zach LaVine | Guard
LaVine’s 2023-24 season is over after he played just 25 games, a pair of right foot injuries leading to season-ending surgery in February. LaVine played in the fewest games of his career since the 2017-18 season, when he first came to Chicago after surgery on a torn ACL. It was also one of the reasons his trade market stalled this summer amid rumors of his departure from the Windy City. LaVine is now entering his eighth season with the Bulls, having fully recovered from his surgery and is among the players who have reported early for training camp. — Collier
Ja Morant | Guard
Any hopes the Grizzlies had of salvaging their 2023-24 season following Morant’s 25-game suspension were dashed when he suffered a shoulder injury in January that required season-ending surgery. Morant played in just nine games, but he was on the court long enough to remind Memphis fans of the Grizzlies’ potential with their superstar in the lineup. Memphis went 6-3 when Morant played, and he averaged 25.1 points and 8.1 assists. He has been fully cleared for contact since July and comes into training camp with a clean bill of health. –Tim MacMahon
Marcus Smart | Guard
While watching his former Boston teammates win the franchise’s 18th NBA title, Smart spent his first season in Memphis on the Grizzlies’ lengthy injury list. He dealt with abdominal pain during the preseason, a foot sprain that sidelined him for 17 months, and an injury to his right ring finger (a middle proximal interphalangeal joint tear, to be precise) that caused Smart to miss the final months of the season.
If the Grizzlies weren't a lottery-bound team, Smart likely would have returned late in the regular season. The Grizzlies are counting on the veteran point guard to provide the combination of toughness, defense and craftiness they hoped for when they signed him. –MacMahon
Kristaps Porzingis | Center
Following his memorable return for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Porzingis underwent surgery in late June to repair a torn retinaculum and a dislocated posterior tibial tendon in his left leg. His recovery has been uneventful so far, but Porzingis is expected to be out for at least the first few months of the season.
In his absence, Boston is expected to start 38-year-old Al Horford, provided the team isn't playing back-to-back games or turning to some combination of Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta. –Tim Bontemps
Kawhi Leonard | Forward
During Team USA's training camp in July, Leonard described his surgically repaired right knee as having been “in a neutral state. And I hope it stays that way.” USA Basketball opted to go in a different direction after watching Leonard practice at training camp, replacing him with Celtics guard Derrick White. While the Clippers franchise star wanted to win Olympic gold, the decision allowed him to spend the offseason working on his knee.
Leonard's knee inflammation in the lead-up to Team USA's training camp was telling, considering he didn't play in the final eight games of the regular season and only played in two games in the Clippers' first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Clippers head coach Ty Lue told ESPN last month that Leonard is “feeling good” and will be ready to go when training camp begins Oct. 1 in Hawaii. –Ohm Youngmisuk
Jimmy Butler | Forward
Butler also suffered an injury in the play-in tournament. Butler sprained his right medial collateral ligament in the Heat's loss to the 76ers, though Miami recovered to secure the No. 8 seed by beating the Bulls. Without Butler, the Heat were eliminated in five games by the eventual champion Celtics.
Butler's knee has since healed and he has been training all over the world. The biggest question for Butler heading into training camp has less to do with his knee and more with what hairstyle he'll wear this time around. –Andrew Lopez
Zion Williamson | Forward
The 2023-24 season was Williamson's healthiest in an NBA uniform. He played in a career-high 70 games and did not miss consecutive games throughout the regular season. Unfortunately, Williamson injured his left hamstring in the play-in tournament against the Los Angeles Lakers and missed the playoffs.
Williamson's injury was less severe than the one that halted his 2022-23 season, and he was able to quickly return to summer training, even participating in team-led workouts in the Los Angeles area in late August as he prepares for the upcoming season. — Lopez
LaMelo Ball | Guard
Since playing in 75 games and becoming an All-Star in the 2021-22 season, Ball has appeared in a total of 58 games over the past two seasons combined. Ankle injuries have plagued the 23-year-old and derailed a promising start to the 2020 No. 3 overall pick's career.
With Ball injured, Charlotte won a total of 48 games over the past two seasons, and now the Hornets have a new regime led by executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and new head coach Charles Lee.
Ball has played in just seven games since Nov. 26. The Hornets need their franchise point guard to be healthy, and training camp will be the first look at how Ball feels. –Young Misuk
Khris Middleton | Forward
To address the injury issues that plagued him for most of last season, Middleton underwent two ankle surgeries during the offseason, one on each ankle intended to clean up any remaining damage. Middleton, 33, is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.
The irony for Milwaukee, however, is that Middleton was the team's healthiest and most productive star during its first-round series against Indiana last postseason, and the Bucks want to make sure he's ready for the biggest games in his 13th season.
A slew of injury issues have limited Middleton's availability over the past two regular seasons (he has played in just 88 regular-season games following an All-Star appearance in 2022) and the Bucks will proceed cautiously with Middleton's playing time. — Collier
