We have gotten some devastating injuries across this NBA regular season and playoffs. In this article, I will go through the impact of those injuries on fantasy basketball. The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Milwaukee Bucks will be the main teams that are mentioned. The Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum, the Mavs will be without Kyrie Irving, the Bucks will be without Damian Lillard, and the Sixers could be without Joel Embiid for major portions of the NBA season. These injuries will no doubt affect their respective teams a lot for the regular season, and will certainly affect different players’ fantasy outlook. With that being said, let’s get into it.
The Impact of Major Injuries for Fantasy Basketball in 2025-26
Boston Celtics – Jayson Tatum
This is probably the most impactful injury of all of them. The Celtics already had some tough decisions to make because of their roster construction and cap space. It doesn’t help that they will be without their franchise star, Jayson Tatum. Tatum tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This will indefinitely sideline him for at least nine months. So, we are going to see what Jaylen Brown can do as the number one option. In his career, Brown averages 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game when Tatum doesn’t play. Now, this is only a 39-game sample, but we can predict that Brown’s counting stats will certainly get better, but how much better? Payton Pritchard and Derrick White are also guys who should chip in to fill that Tatum-sized void.
Dallas Mavericks – Kyrie Irving
The Mavericks will most certainly be missing Irving’s presence on the court next season. Irving tore his ACL on March 3rd, 2025, in a game versus the Sacramento Kings. Guard is a glaring hole in the Mavs’ roster because of this injury. Dante Exum and Spencer Dinwiddie are both free agents, leaving Max Christie, Klay Thompson, and Jaden Hardy as the primary guards. This is going to be a huge problem because Christie and Thompson are not the best with the ball in their hands. Signing a true point guard in free agency is going to be key, but the real beneficiary is going to be Anthony Davis. For fantasy basketball, Davis is in a situation where he gets to play the power forward (his preferred position) and is the primary option with nobody competing for those main touches. Expect a huge incoming season for Davis.
Milwaukee Bucks – Damian Lillard
Lillard went down with a torn Achilles in the playoffs, he’ll likely miss the whole 2025-26 season. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins are guards who could step up for the Bucks without Dame. Additionally, a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade could give the Bucks another point guard who would fill some of Lillard’s production. Perhaps even projected No. 2 pick Dylan Harper. Ultimately, unlike the other teams on this list, it’s unclear who will step up for the Bucks to fill the void left behind by Lillard’s injury.
Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid
To be honest, we have no clue what is going on with Embiid. The latest update we heard was in April of 2025, saying he was to undergo surgery on his knee. Hopefully, Embiid gets back to his MVP form, but I think those days may be past him. Embiid was missing games consistently throughout the season and didn’t show any progress in getting better. We’ve seen cases like this, most recently with Kawhi Leonard, but that shows the optimistic side of this. If Embiid were to miss a big chunk of the 2025-26 season, Paul George is going to have to step up. Tyrese Maxey will continue to be a star, but he needs a secondary guy. George has to be the one to fill that need. After missing most of this season, George needs to come back healthy if the Sixers look to compete.
The Last Word
Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and Joel Embiid are the biggest injuries going into next season. Each team will need other guys to fill in for those missing pieces. The Celtics are going to need Jaylen Brown to play at that All-NBA level. The Mavericks need to sign or trade for a point guard, along with Anthony Davis staying healthy. And the Sixers are going to need Paul George to get back to an All-Star caliber player.
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