The NBA has a 'missing stars' problem with injuries piling up faster than normal

The opening weeks of the NBA season have been besieged by absent stars. This past week’s games turned out to be particularly destructive. First, on Thursday, news broke that Philadelphia 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey went down with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for multiple weeks. Then Zion Williamson. Then Ja Morant. Then Kevin Durant. Then Chet Holmgren. Each is expected to be sidelined with timetables measured in weeks, not days.

And that’s just this past week. Teams are fighting to keep their biggest names on the floor, and many are losing that battle. Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard haven’t even played a game yet. (Embiid is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday.)…