Playing in every game of the NBA season is difficult to say the least. But these are the select few players who have pulled it off so far this year.
The NBA regular season is a grind in the truest sense of the word. Playing in every single game of the NBA’s long and grueling 82-game season that stretches from October to April is an exceptionally tall task — especially in this day and age with the health and safety protocols — but three-quarters of the way through, six players have played in every possible game so far in the 2021-22 NBA season.
For more context, only 30 out of the NBA’s 572 total players have played in at least 95 percent of their team’s games. In addition to the six players who have not missed a game yet, there are nine players who have missed just one game this season, including Terance Mann, Patty Mills, Alec Burks, Malik Beasley, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Buddy Hield and Russell Westbrook.
Those are the almost Iron Men and below are the six real Iron Men of the 2021-22 NBA Season who have played in every game thus far.
Meet the Iron Men of the 2021-22 NBA season
Two-time NBA champion Kevon Looney has played and started in all 64 games for the Warriors this season. (If the two-time NBA champion note startled you, it’s because you blocked out the fact that Looney was on the Kevin Durant Warriors many moons ago.) Looney’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s actually matching his career-high of 6.3 points per game. He originally set that mark in 2018-19 when he played in 80 games, only missing two that season. Looney is also averaging a career-high in rebounds and minutes per game, having to be relied upon more due to Draymond’s calf/back injury. In the 12 games this season that Looney has scored 10 points or more, the Warriors are 9-3. He has attempted a grand total of one 3-pointer this season.
Dwight Powell has played in all 64 games for the Mavs this season, which is even more impressive when you take into account that he tore his Achilles in January 2020. Powell was a durable player before that Achilles injury, missing five games or fewer in the three seasons prior. Like the aforementioned Kevon Looney, Powell is a good-game bellwether for the Mavs but even more so: In the 22 games this season that Powell scores 10+ points, the Mavs are 18-4. Powell has attempted 32 more 3s than Looney’s lonely one, and he’s made 13 of them for a solid 39.4 3-point percentage for a big man. Lastly, Powell is believed to lead the NBA in the unofficial stat of getting hit the face.
Wish there was anything as consistent in my life as the fact that Dwight Powell gets hit in the face EVERY game.
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) December 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/isaacappelt/status/1499583475833319425?s=20&t=8BSHxuFWUUUojO_1F33e3A
Deni Avdija’s status as a current Iron Man was in question recently after suffering a quad contusion in last Tuesday’s game against Detroit, but Avdija suited up on Friday night against Atlanta and on Sunday night against Indiana to keep his streak alive of playing in all 63 Wizards games this season. The 21-year-old Israeli had the best six-game stretch of his nascent two-year career back in February, scoring in double-figures in six consecutive games. It’s clear that Avdija is gaining confidence in the NBA. He’s quickened his decision making and he’s been a really good on-ball defender. He’s also earning the trust of head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who has been including Deni in the Wizards closing lineups in crunch time.
After only missing two games in his rookie season a year ago, Saddiq Bey has played and started in all 64 games this season for the Pistons. Coming off a first-team All-Rookie selection, Bey’s numbers have improved across the board in his sophomore season. He’s averaging more points, rebounds, assists and steals. The Pistons are currently in the midst of playing their best ball of the season, winning five of the last 7 games. Bey has been a big part of that, scoring 20 points or more in four of those wins against the Celtics, Hornets, Raptors and Pacers. He has a smooth shooting stroke and he isn’t afraid to get physical.
The 8th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Franz Wagner is the lone rookie to play in every game so far this season, all 65 for the Magic. (He’s also the only player to be an Iron Man and a T-Shirt All-Star!) Wagner is essentially a lock for first team All-Rookie. Not only does Franz lead all rookies in total points scored, but he scored the most points by a rookie in a single-game this season back in January, exploding for 38 points against the defending champion Bucks. In addition to being an efficient scorer, Wagner is a versatile wing who can do a little bit of everything. He’s an incredibly smart off-ball defender with a great feel for the game.
The Phoenix Suns have the best record in the NBA by a wide margin at 51-13 and Mikal Bridges has been present for the entire 64-game ride. This is extremely familiar territory for Bridges, who has astoundingly not missed a game yet in his four-year NBA career. That’s right: 291 consecutive regular-season games. Bridges also played in every game during his three-year collegiate career at Villanova. He’s an iron man through and through. But if he wants to break A.C. Green’s All-Time NBA Iron Man record, he still has 901 games (equivalent to 11 NBA regular seasons) to go to reach Green’s unthinkable 1,192 straight games.
With less than 20 games left in the season, who will be the last 2021-22 Iron Men standing?