2026-27 NBA Minutes Report: Fallout from injuries to Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, more

Welcome to the NBA Minutes Report. Every week, I will review each team’s updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks and what their impact has been. That can help you with any fantasy basketball decisions you may need to make, but also help you get a lay of the land on what’s happening around the NBA and which players are gaining or losing value.

The charts below are also great for exploring on your own. You can track the minutes over the last three, five, ten games, and for the entire season, to see which trends stand out to you. All of this data was made accessible by Kyle Bland, who is incredibly talented and also extremely generous. Be sure to follow him to check out all of his baseball data as well.

Advertisement

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference that returned the majority of their core, and each of Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and CJ McCollum continues to play big minutes for them to start the season. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins were offseason additions from the Thunder, who have rounded out the Hawks’ rotation, but the team that looked dangerous down the stretch last season is mostly back in 2026. Rookie Kingston Flemings is also seeing about 20 minutes per game off the bench, but would need an injury to move into a larger role.

Boston Celtics

The big shake-up in Boston was obviously Paul George being added to the team as part of the Jaylen Brown trade. George is playing plenty of minutes, so we’ll need to see how he holds up under this kind of workload. The big surprise has been that Neemias Queta is playing far more minutes than newly-signed Mitchell Robinson. Robinson’s fit in Joe Mazzulla’s system seems tenuous right now. His rebounding numbers are down, particularly on the offensive glass where he is so dangerous, and the Celtics have been far better with him off the court. It’s a situation they’ll need to figure out.

Advertisement

Brooklyn Nets

Michael Porter Jr. is back to lead the Nets in minutes, but Julius Randle is now here as well, which gives them two forwards who are the central focus of the offense. With Nic Claxton now on the Bulls, Day’Ron Sharpe is getting primary run as the Nets center, and it’s going OK. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. has looked good so far, but the trio of Chaney Johnson, Keon Ellis, and Noah Clowney is playing a lot of minutes and not really delivering for Brooklyn right now. We’ll see what happens when Egor Dëmin and Ben Saraf return.

Charlotte Hornets

With LaMelo Ball in Minnesota, we knew the Hornets would become Brandon Miller’s team, and that has turned out to be the case. Coby White was out at the start of the season with a calf injury, but has recently returned, so his minutes should begin to tick up. Moussa Diabate leads the NBA in offensive rebounding average, and Naz Reid has been a nice addition to the Hornets, who are still waiting for Kon Knueppel to make his season debut while dealing with a hamstring injury.

Advertisement

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are a young team that is not contending, so they are going to give Caleb Wilson all the minutes and usage that he can handle. There are already rumors that the Bulls are looking to trade Norman Powell, which would free up more minutes and usage for the younger players. We have also not yet seen Nic Claxton as he deals with a hamstring injury, so Jalen Smith has been playing a much bigger role.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The core of the Cavs has returned, and Peyton Watson was brought in to be a primary defender on the wing. The beginning of his season hasn’t gone great, and he’s now dealing with an injury, as is Jaylon Tyson, so players like Meleek Thomas and Mario Hezonja have been seeing more minutes of late.

Advertisement

Dallas Mavericks

This Mavericks team has been a little feisty to start the season. With Dereck Lively and Santi Aldama out with injuries, Daniel Gafford has stepped into a bigger role and is playing pretty well. Zaccharie Risacher has looked better in Dallas than he did in Atlanta, and Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving are continuing to learn how to operate beside one another.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets brought in DeMar DeRozan to replace Peyton Watson’s minutes, and have been relatively healthy to start the season, with minor injuries to Spencer Jones and some Cameron Johnson rest days cropping up. This feels like a team that will figure it out, but I do wonder if there needs to be a bit more defense on the perimeter now that Watson is gone.

Advertisement

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are dealing with injuries to Jalen Duren and newly acquired Isaiah Joe, which have led to big minutes for Paul Reed, who has done a really nice job filling in. His minutes will take a hit when Duren returns, but he will remain a key part of the rotation. It remains to be seen who is impacted by Joe’s return, but it might be Kevin Huerter.

Golden State Warriors

After missing a couple of games, Stephen Curry has returned to the Warriors and looks great. Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with health issues and may not play for the Warriors at all, and Gui Santos is also out with an injury, so there have been lots of minutes for Al Horford and George Niang. The Warriors have also gotten elite contribution from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, which I discussed in a video last week.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets have been the story of the season and, at 7-1, look like one of the best teams in basketball. Freed VanVleet has returned after missing all last season with an injury, and the offense is humming. Steven Adams has been missing time with an injury, so the backup center minutes have been up for grabs a bit.

Advertisement

Indiana Pacers

Sadly, the Pacers are dealing with a few injuries as Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Obi Toppin (back), and Ivica Zubac (ankle) have all missed time. Toppin and Zubac could be back this week, which would likely cut into minutes for Jay Huff and Larry Nance Jr.

Los Angeles Clippers

This has not been a great start to the season for the Clippers, who are struggling to replace Kawhi Leonard. Brandon Ingram has an Achilles injury, Bradley Beal is battling a knee injury, and Jordan Miller is out another 4-5 months after rotator cuff surgery. This seems to be their core rotation for now, but you have to wonder when they start giving more minutes to rookie Keaton Wagler.

Advertisement

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers in the post-LeBron James era have a relatively narrow rotation. This team runs through Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, and, of course, Luka Dončić. Matisse Thybulle has worked back on the radar after a few down seasons elsewhere, but Kevon Looney and Jarred Vanderbilt seem to not be part of this rotation.

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis is off to a nice start to the season, thanks in most part to early success from Ty Jerome and a nice transition to the NBA from Cameron Boozer. Isaiah Stewart has been a nice addition to their rotation as well, and Cam Spencer has started to play more minutes with Scotty Pippen Jr. sidelined. GG Jackson also continues to serve as a great energy player off the bench.

Miami Heat

The Giannis Antetokounmpo Heat have not gotten off to a strong start, and he and Bam Adebayo are still learning how to play together and space the floor enough. Klay Thompson is shooting well, but his defense has become a real problem for the Heat whenever he is on the floor. This is a team still figuring a bunch of things out.

Advertisement

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are not playing well, and I have no clue why Kel’el Ware is not getting more minutes. Tyler Herro remains the offensive engine after coming over in the trade with the Heat, but this doesn’t look like a team that is heading anywhere this season. More minutes for rookie Brayden Burries are going to continue to come, but Ryan Rollins has been pushed into a smaller role this season. There will be some personnel changes coming here.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves looked great before Anthony Edwards went down with an injury. He’s going to be sidelined for a while, which means this team is going to rely on LaMelo Ball, who became the fastest player in NBA history to hit 1,000 three-pointers. As I discussed in a video this week,Ball and Ayo Dosunmu are going to see a lot of usage with Edwards sidelined, and this team’s rotation will shorten a little bit.

Advertisement

New Orleans Pelicans

Dejounte Murray has been sidelined for personal reasons and might be on his way out of New Orleans. That has opened up more opportunities for second-year guard Jeremiah Fears, who I discussed in a video this week.The Pelicans are also without Yves Missi, DeAndre Jordan, and Jordan Poole, which has led to more minutes for Herbert Jones, who may also be a possible trade candidate. This is a team that could look very different by mid-season.

New York Knicks

The Knicks started the season in a bit of a lull, but have started to pick it up a little of late. That is, apart from Mikal Bridges, who has not looked good to start the year and has been benched in the fourth quarter in most games recently. That’s led to extra minutes for Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson, and both Tyler Kolek and Jose Alvarado are also getting minutes off the bench as Mike Brown plays the hot hand with the end of his rotation.

Advertisement

Oklahoma City Thunder

No team has been hit harder by injuries than the Thunder, who lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the regular season, and then also lost Chet Holmgren for 8-10 weeks, which I discussed in a video on Monday.That has led to extra minutes for Aday Mara off the bench, and Kenrich Williams has entered the starting lineup. The Thunder will also need to rely more heavily on Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, who are no longer just role players off the bench.

Orlando Magic

Another season and another year that the Magic are dealing with injuries to Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero. That has led to more minutes and usage for both Anthony Black and Tristan Da Silva, which I covered in a video last week, and Franz Wagner will now operate as the hub of the offense.

Advertisement

Philadelphia 76ers

The new-look 76ers have been off to a good start, and their key core players have remained healthy and effective together. Dominick Barlow could return soon to take some minutes away from Dean Wade or Adem Bona, but this is the rotation we’re likely to see all season.

Phoenix Suns

This hasn’t been a great start to the season for the Suns, and they’re not getting great production from Jalen Green. They also don’t really have a true point guard, so they may need to look to get Collin Gillespie more minutes. The early injury to Mark Williams has also pushed Khaman Maluach into a larger role than he might be ready for, so the Suns may need to shake up some minutes there too.

Advertisement

Portland Trail Blazers

The Ja Morant and Damian Lillard backcourt was kinda fun, until Morant just went down with a hamstring injury. With Morant sidelined for about a month, Jrue Holiday is likely going to see more minutes and more usage, especially with Shaedon Sharpe out for around four more months with a knee injury.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are the worst team in basketball, so it makes sense that rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is getting all the work and the usage that he can handle. Keegan Murray is also out with an ankle injury, and Maxime Reynaud has a knee injury, so that’s two players that will need to be worked back into the rotation when they return. There should be no problem creating minutes for them.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are healthy and very good. Dylan Harper has stepped into a bigger role as a starter, but their core from last season remains here and in their similar roles.

Advertisement

Toronto Raptors

It took two games for the Raptors to lose Kawhi Leonard to injury. That has been a devastating blow to their defense on the wing. It has led to more minutes for Collin Murray-Boyles, which is nice, but this team could really use another playmaker.

Utah Jazz

Well, the new-look Jazz lasted for a few games before Jaren Jackson Jr. landed on the injured list. With Jusuf Nurkic also injured, that has led to lots of minutes for Jaxson Hayes, but nothing seems to be working for this offense. They have no real center and haven’t created enough shots for their younger players, and Darryn Peterson has not taken the leap that many expected after he was “freed” from Kansas. It’s been a very disappointing start to the season.

Advertisement

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are another team that looks drastically different. Trae Young and Anthony Davis are both now allowed to play, and rookie first overall pick AJ Dybantsa has looked good to start the season. An injury to Justin Champagnie has opened up more minutes for Bilal Coulibaly, and Alex Sarr has been playing through a knee issue, but this is a relatively healthy team for now.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com