NBA: 15 players looking to shed injury-prone label in 2017-18

Heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, here’s a look at 15 injury-prone players who have a lot riding on staying healthy this time around.

The worst part about the NBA — or any sport, for that matter — is injury. There’s a reason they say it takes a little luck to win a title: Sometimes a star player getting hurt can be the biggest difference between championship glory and the kind of disappointment that’s impossible to forget.

That especially holds true in basketball, a team sport where one superstar can take over a game since there are only five players on the court for each team. As such, losing such a star player could very easily end a team’s aspirations for a season before the playoffs even arrive.

Injuries are inevitable, at least until modern science evolves to the point where we’re all invincible. Every year we bemoan rotten injury luck to our favorite players, especially if they’re stars who are intrinsic to their team’s success.

Heading into 2017-18, there are several players — both prominent and not so recognizable — who have been labeled as “injury-prone” after failing to put together healthy seasons for the last couple of years. Whether they’re overpaid, approaching free agency, or simply notoriously brittle, there are quite a few key players hoping to change their track record with a healthy campaign.

As we approach a new NBA season, it’s time to take a look at 15 players who have a lot riding on a healthy 2017-18 campaign as they try to shed that injury-prone label.