Naz Reid is among the players relied upon to step up to assist with losses to injury.
We’re in the final few weeks of the 2024-25 regular season, and as teams are making their pushes towards playoff seeding, every game counts.
Losing a player to injury throws a wrench into those plans. The Dallas Mavericks (32-32), who were already missing Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to injury, saw their chances of making it out of the Play-In Tournament take a significant blow Tuesday when it was announced that Kyrie Irving tore his ACL and would miss the rest of the regular season. Later in the week, Jalen Brunson – star point guard and captain of the New York Knicks (40-23) – suffered a sprained right ankle during Thursday’s overtime loss to the Lakers.
The season doesn’t stop when a star player goes down with an injury. As Karl-Anthony Towns said after Thursday’s loss, “It’s next man up. [Jalen Brunson] is a huge part of our team. We’ve been playing with grit and have to go out there and do it again.” Which players have stepped up, or will be stepping up in the face of team adversity?
Naz Reid | Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves got hit with the injury bug Jan. 30 against the Jazz when Julius Randle suffered a right groin injury; he would miss Minnesota’s next 13 games. Overlapping Randle’s absence has been Rudy Gobert, out of action since just before the All-Star break due to a lower back injury. Buoying the big man rotation for Minnesota has been reigning Kia Sixth Man of the Year winner Naz Reid, who has started in each of the last 16 games.
He’s scored at least 20 points in 10 of those contests and has averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks over 35.6 minutes per contest. Reid’s production has helped keep the T-Wolves afloat, as they are tied with the Warriors for the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings.
Quentin Grimes | Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers have struggled with injuries all season, with Tyrese Maxey and Paul George currently sidelined due to back and groin issues, while 2022-23 Kia MVP Joel Embiid is out for the rest of the season due to a lingering knee injury. Philadelphia is on the outside looking in to the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, but they’re getting contributions from rotation players, including Kelly Oubre, Guerschon Yabusele and Grimes.
Grimes – dealt by the Mavericks to the 76ers prior to the trade deadline – has been in the starting lineup since Feb. 12. He’s had some inconsistent showings since entering the starting five, but he’s also had incredible moments, including a 44-point outburst in a win over the Warriors on March 1. As a starter with the 76ers, Grimes has averaged 18.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals across 33.0 minutes while shooting 51.6% from the floor and 40.0% from 3-point range.
Payton Pritchard – Boston Celtics
The Celtics have experienced numerous injuries this past week, with Jayson Tatum missing Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right shoulder impingement, while Jaylen Brown missed Thursday’s contest against the 76ers due to a right knee injury. That’s on top of the absences of Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser.
Pritchard remained in his reserve role despite the flurry of injuries, but coming off the bench hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most prolific scorers in the league. He popped off for a career-high 43 points Wednesday while connecting on 10 3-pointers, and he followed that up with a 19-point, six-assist effort Thursday. Pritchard’s ability to effectively run Joe Mazzulla’s offense is one of several reasons the fifth-year point guard out of Oregon is considered one of the front-runners for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Max Christie | Dallas Mavericks
Amidst the blockbuster trade in early February that saw Davis get sent to the Mavericks, Christie was almost the forgotten piece of that deal. Christie put his name back on the map by averaging 17.1 points on 51.9% shooting over the first seven games of his Mavericks tenure.
He’s cooled off to 32.2% shooting and 8.0 points per game over his last six outings. Still, the absences of Davis, Irving, Jaden Hardy and others will ultimately mean that Christie will need to step into a larger role if Dallas wishes to stay in playoff contention.
Miles McBride | New York Knicks
Thursday’s overtime loss to the Lakers was devastating for the Knicks, not only for their aspirations of catching up to the Celtics for the No. 2 seed but also in losing Brunson for at least two weeks due to a right ankle sprain. Head coach Tom Thibodeau inserted McBride into the starting five for Friday’s game against the Clippers, where he posted seven points, six assists, two rebounds and a steal.
McBride started strong with a 22-point effort against Boston in the regular-season opener, but he’s seen his scoring come and go throughout the year. His best performance of the season came in his previous lone start against the Bulls on Feb. 20, when he tallied 23 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in a 113-111 win. McBride will have a chance to contribute even more for the Knicks until Brunson is able to return from his injury.
Honorable mentions: Ja’Kobe Walter – Toronto Raptors; Josh Giddey – Chicago Bulls; Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic; Bismack Biyombo/Stephon Castle – San Antonio Spurs; Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
