The Los Angeles Clippers will be facing the Memphis Grizzlies, but they could be without their star player in the game. James Harden popped out on the injury report with a left calf contusion, and he is listed as questionable. Calf injuries have been a problem in the league this season, and it has taken weeks for players to recover from them. Anthony Davis was recently listed on the injury report for the same thing.
Evan Mobley also just suffered a calf strain and is expected to miss the next two to four weeks for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When looking at the data, calf injuries have taken a big jump from last season at the 20-game mark, according to Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports.
“This time last season, there were 18 calf injuries at the 20-game mark. This season, it’s up to 25 incidents, representing an increase of nearly 40%,” Haberstroh wrote. “More significant, however, is the elongated recovery timeline of these injuries. Per Stotts’ data, the number of games lost due to calf injuries, through 20 games played, skyrocketed from 36 to 108. A tripling of last season’s total.”
Every calf injury is not the same for each player, so it's uncertain how serious Harden's is. With him being listed as questionable, it could be a sign that it's something minor, but it truly won't be known until closer to game time.
If Harden can't play, it will just be another hurdle the Clippers have to face, as they've dealt with injuries all season. Bradley Beal is out for the rest of the season, Derrick Jones Jr. is recovering from an MCL injury, and Kawhi Leonard had been sidelined earlier in the year, but he's been playing consistently as of late.
The Clippers have also just not played well this season, even when they were healthy. It's been a rough year, but Harden has been the one constant through it all. The hope is that he doesn't return as early as he should, but that's if the injury is actually serious.
