This article is part of our NBA Injury Analysis series.
DeMar Derozan
The All-Star guard suffered a lower leg injury during Friday's loss to the Mavericks. He slipped while attempting to cut and immediately grabbed his left groin area before being helped to the locker room. The Raptors initially ruled the injury a groin strain, but additional tests over the weekend revealed the injury to be more severe. DeRozan tore the tendon of the adductor longus muscle in his left leg and will miss an extended period of time.
The initial diagnosis was partially correct. The area most people refer to as the groin is actually a group of muscles known as the adductors. The adductors muscles get their name from the motion they perform. Collectively, they pull the leg toward the midline of the body in a direction known as adduction. The involved muscles include the aforementioned adductor longus, as well as the adductor brevis, adductor magnus, pectineus, and gracilis muscles. The adductor longus also plays a role in hip flexion. As a result, the injury will not only have a negative effect on DeRozan's lateral movements but also limit his jumping ability. That makes for a bad combination for a player whose style of play is dependent on his explosive athleticism.
The location of DeRozan's tendon tear remains a key factor in determining his length of absence and any potential treatment options. In the best-case scenario, the tear is situated near the musculotendinous junction, where the muscle transitions from muscle tissue to tendon. Generally, these types of injuries
DeMar Derozan
The All-Star guard suffered a lower leg injury during Friday's loss to the Mavericks. He slipped while attempting to cut and immediately grabbed his left groin area before being helped to the locker room. The Raptors initially ruled the injury a groin strain, but additional tests over the weekend revealed the injury to be more severe. DeRozan tore the tendon of the adductor longus muscle in his left leg and will miss an extended period of time.
The initial diagnosis was partially correct. The area most people refer to as the groin is actually a group of muscles known as the adductors. The adductors muscles get their name from the motion they perform. Collectively, they pull the leg toward the midline of the body in a direction known as adduction. The involved muscles include the aforementioned adductor longus, as well as the adductor brevis, adductor magnus, pectineus, and gracilis muscles. The adductor longus also plays a role in hip flexion. As a result, the injury will not only have a negative effect on DeRozan's lateral movements but also limit his jumping ability. That makes for a bad combination for a player whose style of play is dependent on his explosive athleticism.
The location of DeRozan's tendon tear remains a key factor in determining his length of absence and any potential treatment options. In the best-case scenario, the tear is situated near the musculotendinous junction, where the muscle transitions from muscle tissue to tendon. Generally, these types of injuries do not require surgery and can return somewhere between four to six weeks. Since the 2005-06 season, the average missed time for a groin strain reported as Grade 2 or higher is 19 games or approximately six weeks.
However, things would get more complicated if the tear were located at the point where the adductor longus tendon connects to the pubic bone. This injury is classified as an avulsion injury and usually requires surgical intervention. If DeRozan does eventually go under the knife, his estimated time of recovery could easily stretch to eight weeks or more, although the case of Kendrick Perkins does provide some reason for optimism. Last season, the Oklahoma City center returned to action 17 games (37 days) after undergoing groin surgery, though the exact muscle Perkins injured was never publicly revealed.
Given that the Raptors are quietly optimistic he can return in four weeks, surgery doesn't seem to be the current course of treatment. Toronto may instead opt to utilize platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy or other proactive treatments. DeRozan will be reevaluated later in the week, which should provide better insight to just how long he'll be sidelined.
In the meantime, Greivis Vasquez will start at shooting guard and is worth consideration in all formats. The fourth-year guard played a season-high 34 minutes Sunday and finished with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
Nene Hilario
The Washington forward is dealing with an injury that he has become quite familiar with throughout his career. Nene has missed three straight games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The plantar fascia is a band of thick connective tissue that starts at the heel and runs along the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia protects the bottom of the foot while providing support and stability to the arch of the foot. If over-stretched or torn it can become irritated and inflamed resulting in plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is a painful injury, particularly with running and jumping. It is often reoccurring and can easily develop into a chronic condition. Various stretches and rehabilitative exercises can be utilized to minimize the pain and strengthen the area, but rest remains the best course of treatment.
As previously indicated, this isn't Nene's first experience with plantar fasciitis. Prior to the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season, Nene began to deal with plantar fascia issues in his left foot. The injury would be a problem throughout the next two seasons as the Brazilian forward missed a total of 28 games at various points throughout the next two years. His latest injury is to the opposite foot, but history doesn't bode well for fantasy owners. Given the nature of the injury and his previous history, it may be best to invest in a safer, more reliant option for the remainder of the year.
Fast Breaks
Gastroenteritis Victims: 'Tis the season for colds, flus, and stomach viruses. The locker room setting puts players in close proximity to one another and often results in the team sharing germs. The Grizzlies endured a nasty stomach bug earlier this season, and numerous other players including Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins have missed time recently with illness. While there is little fantasy owners can do once a player is sick, consider alternative solutions if you see multiple players on a single team missing action due to illness.
Stephen Curry: Curry went down with an ankle injury in the team's win over Detroit on Sunday. He underwent an X-ray that failed to find any significant damage. Fortunately, the ankle injury occurred to his left ankle and not his surgically repaired right. Since entering the league, Curry has endured 18 ankle sprains and needed two surgeries to correct issues with his right ankle as opposed to just five sprains on the left. Keep him in your lineup but scale back your expectations for the next few games.
Isaiah Thomas: The Suns guard has missed three straight games with a bone contusion in his right ankle. The team has not revealed when he is expected to return, making him a risky play in weekly formats.
Anderson Varejao: The Cleveland center missed Saturday's contest against the Pacers with a rib contusion. The injury occurred during practice but serves as a reminder that Varejao's frenetic style of play lends itself to injury. The rib issue doesn't appear to be overly alarming, but Tristan Thompson may have some increased value for the immediate future.
Tony Wroten: Wroten suffered a sprained right knee against the Nets and isn't expected to back for a few more games. The Sixers said he will be re-evaluated on December 5 but have yet to reveal the ligament involved or the degree of the damage. In the meantime, Hollis Thompson has rejoined the starting unit, though K.J. McDaniels appears to be the player most likely to warrant fantasy consideration.
