The NBA injury report heading into the weekend has updates for players like Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Jennings, Harrison Barnes, Mo Williams, Emmanuel Mudiay, Willie Cauley-Stein, Jonas Valanciunas, Marcus Smart and Mike Dunleavy.
The Cavaliers are dealing with some injury issues coming into the weekend, as Kyrie Irving has still not yet made his return to the lineup after having knee surgery over the summer. Reports had Irving set to return on Thursday against the Thunder, but the point guard took to Twitter to say that he was not yet ready to play. Irving reportedly will be coming back next week and should be able to play against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas.
The Cavaliers also have Iman Shumpert and Mo Williams banged up and those players could be out for a couple more games. Shumpert had previously missed the entire season before coming back last week, but in his second game back he suffered a minor groin injury. Shumpert did not play on Thursday and there is a chance he could miss one or two games with the injury. Williams is also dealing with an injury and he did not play against the Thunder, but could return against the Sixers for the next game for the Cavs.
Brandon Jennings is getting close to making his return for the Pistons, as the point guard will rehab in the D-League before joining back with the team, according to the Detroit Free Press. Jennings is coming back from an Achilles injury and he could return to the team by the end of December. Jennings could be a potential trade option, but he will have to prove he can get back on the court first before the Pistons can make a move. Harrison Barnes has been out with an ankle injury for the Warriors and while he has started doing some workouts, Barnes does not have a set date to return for Golden State.
Willie Cauley-Stein is dealing with a dislocated index finger on his right hand and could miss over a month for the Kings. Sean Cunningham reports that Stein may have surgery on the hand, but he also could opt to rehab it over having the procedure. The initial report has Stein out four to six weeks with the injury. Jonas Valanciunas has been out with a hand injury since November and according to the Toronto Sun, he is still dealing with pain in his finger. Valanciunas chose rehab and has not yet been able to return for the Raptors.
Emmanuel Mudiay is dealing with an ankle injury and he will not be able to play on Friday against the Jazz. Mudiay has been out for a week and his initial diagnosis was for 10 to 14 days, so he could be nearing a return within the next couple weeks. Mudiay has been playing well in his rookie season for the Nuggets and is averaging 10 points and 5.7 assists per game. Marcus Smart has been out with a leg injury for the Celtics and he has started basketball activities and could return within the next few weeks, according to ESPN Boston.
