Lakers Missed 339 Games Due to Injuries Last Season

Injuries are a part of sports. They are unfortunate, but they happen to everyone. We have seen how injuries have changed the NBA playoff landscape.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers lost power forward Kevin Love for the post-season and now they are no longer the favorites to win the NBA title. Chris Paul has an injured hamstring that could limit him in the series against the Rockets and Mike Conley is still recovering from a facial fracture and might not play in Game 2.

While winning an NBA championship requires a great roster and head coach, luck also has a lot do with it. The Lakers have not been very lucky these past couple of years. This past year in particular, was the worst one of all.

According to Eric Pincus of the LA Times, the players missed a total of 339 games for the Lakers due to an injury:

"Injuries were a major factor, starting with Steven Nash (back) in training camp and ending with rookie Jordan Clarkson hobbled with an ankle injury.The Lakers saw players sit for 339 games because of injury and 355 in total."

Lately, if the Lakers didn’t have bad luck, they would not have any luck at all. Injuries have been a constant and for a second straight season, they have the most games missed in the entire league. This franchise is accustomed to success, but injuries have made these last two years painful to watch.

The Lakers can only hope that next year will bring better luck and it all starts with the NBA Draft lottery. First, we have to hope the Lakers keep the pick, then we can be greedy and hope we are lucky enough to sneak into the top three. Only time will tell, but until then, nobody walk under a ladder or break a mirror, just in case.

Next: Lakers Off-Season: NBA Playoffs Could Have Major Impact