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Five great players who missed the entire 2021/22 NBA season

Zion Williams of the New Orleans Pelicans

A two-time NBA Finals MVP features as we pick five stars who missed the entire 2021/22 regular and post-season.

Whether it be through injury or something else, a number of players were forced to watch their team from the sidelines for the whole campaign.
The legend that is Michael Jordan once missed a season after changing to baseball in 1993. While there are some conspiracy theories about his NBA hiatus, MJ represented the Birmingham Barons in the Minor Baseball League in 93/94 as the Chicago Bulls failed to win the title for the first time since 1990.
Injuries are the bane of some players' careers, but hopefully our selected NBA stars can come back stronger after their recovery is complete.
Planet Sport picks out the five best players unable to grace an NBA court in 21/22.

Kawhi Leonard - Los Angeles Clippers

Leonard suffered a somewhat mysterious injury during the 2021 playoffs. He had injured his knee, but the Los Angeles Clippers did not confirm how badly he was hurt, as some fans held hope that he would return in the post-season.

He did not come back, and he still hasn't, as he suffered a torn ACL. The Clippers failed to make the playoffs after losing in the play-in tournament to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Without Leonard, Paul George - who had injury concerns himself - had to step up, and typically, he was unavailable for the crunch play-in match against the Pelicans after entering Covid-19 health and safety protocols.

The two-time champion and Finals MVP should return next season, which will be a huge boost for the Clippers as they look to win their first championship.

Jamal Murray - Denver Nuggets

The king of the 2020 Orlando Bubble, Murray had emerged as a top player in the league before suffering an ACL injury.

After averaging 26.5 PPG in the 19/20 post-season, Murray carried his form into the next campaign before it was ended in his 48th game.

The Nuggets could really do with Murray coming back if they are to make a finals appearance any time soon. His injury as well as the consistent problems Michael Porter Jr has have really hindered Michael Malone's team.
Having said that, despite overall team success, Nikola Jokic has thrived without his co-star, being named MVP in 2021 and 2022.

John Wall - Houston Rockets

The former Washington Wizards point guard sat out the entire season and is the only player on this list that wasn't inactive due to an injury.
Having said that, Wall has greatly struggled with injuries in recent years and also missed 19/20 after rupturing his Achilles tendon. This is partly due to his inactivity, as the Houston Rockets look to keep him healthy so they can trade him.

It was confirmed in November that the ex-All-Star would not play for the Rockets due to a disagreement over his role in the team. Wall wanted to be a starter, meanwhile, the organisation was hoping he would come off the bench. So this answers the question: 'Why is John Wall not playing?'

Wall is on one of the biggest contracts in NBA history, making it very difficult for Houston to shift him.

Zion Williamson - New Orleans Pelicans

Drafted number one in 2019, Zion played 24 games in his maiden season in the league before featuring 61 times in 20/21.
Due to a foot problem, Williamson was inactive this season as his team were beaten by the 1-seed Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Much has been made of the power forward's fitness and injuries, and the one-time All-Star will need to stay healthy if he is to reach his enormous potential.

James Wiseman - Golden State Warriors

The Warriors had a couple terrible seasons, and as a result were given a high draft pick. They took Wiseman at number two in 2020 as they looked to get that All-Star center they have lacked in recent years, not that it stopped them from being successful.
In April 2021, Wiseman suffered a torn right meniscus and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, as well as the majority of 21/22. The majority became the entirety after a setback in March 2022 stopped him from playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's NBA G League affiliate team, as he prepared for a return to the NBA.
Wiseman averaged 11.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 0.9 BPG across 39 games (27 started) in his rookie season.
READ MORE: Brad Stevens deserves praise for sticking with Boston Celtics core as they seek NBA FInals glory

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