Back to the trend of the day: Cooper Flagg has a mild left shoulder sprain
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day

Most Injury Prone NBA Players: Durable Young Players

Bub Carrington played all 164 regular-season games across two seasons, while Cooper Flagg played 70 of 82 as a high-minute rookie.

  • No. 1: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
  • 10 places

01Final list

The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.

Order: from most to least AI agreement.

A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.

  1. 1

    Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

    He played 70 of 82 games at 33.5 minutes per game as a rookie; a high workload makes that availability notable, though it is only one season.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Grok, Gemini, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 9 · ChatGPT: 8 · MiMo: 5 · Kimi: see list · DeepSeek: see list

    What each AI noted 5
    • Claudeplace 9

      He played 70 games at 33.5 minutes, and each injury so far (ankle, mid-foot, shoulder) has been a sprain rather than a structural one.

    • ChatGPTplace 8

      A 33.5-minute rookie workload makes his 70-game season more notable than a simple appearance count.

      Source ↗
    • MiMoplace 5

      999 points in his first 49 NBA games — exactly Luka Dončić's Dallas pace — before a mild shoulder sprain interrupted year two.

      Source ↗
    • Kimi

      Named differently in its own list: open the full list.

      see list
    • DeepSeek

      Named differently in its own list: open the full list.

      see list
    5 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  2. 2

    Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

    He played 149 of 164 games across two seasons, including 68 at 30.0 minutes per game in 2025–26; the missed games keep him behind Carrington.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 8 · ChatGPT: 4 · Kimi: 7 · DeepSeek: 1

    What each AI noted 4
    • Claudeplace 8

      He went from 81 games to 68 and had a hip flexor strain, a shoulder contusion and knee soreness, all soft-tissue problems.

    • ChatGPTplace 4

      He logged 68 games and 30.0 minutes per game in his second NBA season.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 7

      69 of 82 in the regular season, then a Finals run in which he guarded SGA, Edwards and Brunson — and scored a team-high 25 in an elimination game at age 20.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 1

      149 of 164 games (91%) over the last two seasons — the most available young star.

    4 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  3. 3

    Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls

    He played 77 games in 2025–26, all starts, after 80 as a rookie; his minutes rose from 18.9 to 29.2 per game.

    Included it: Claude, Gemini, MiMo. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 2 · Gemini: see list · MiMo: 2

    What each AI noted 3
    • Claudeplace 2

      He went from 80 games at 18.9 minutes to 77 games at 29.2, with a heavier workload and almost no missed time.

      Source ↗
    • Gemini

      Named differently in its own list: open the full list.

      see list
    • MiMoplace 2

      Every game he played in 2025-26 was a start — 77 of them at age 20.

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  4. 4

    Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets

    He went from 52 games as a rookie to all 82 in 2025–26, while his minutes rose from 12.6 to 26.2 per game.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 1 · DeepSeek: 6

    What each AI noted 3
    • Claudeplace 4

      He played all 82 games in 2025-26 at 26.2 minutes.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 1

      He played all 82 games in 2025–26 after appearing in 52 as a rookie.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 6

      134 of 164 games (82%) and all 82 games in 2025-26 after a 52-game rookie year.

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  5. 5

    Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets

    Answers report 79 games and 37.4 minutes per game in 2025–26, a heavy workload; one separate answer gives a conflicting games-played figure.

    Included it: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini. Did not include: Claude, Meta, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: ChatGPT: 2 · Grok: 2 · Gemini: 10

    What each AI noted 3
    • ChatGPTplace 2

      A 37.4-minute role across 79 games puts a heavy workload behind a strong availability season.

      Source ↗
    • Grokplace 2

      Appeared in 79 games last season while leading the league in minutes and averaging 18.3 PPG.

    • Geminiplace 10

      Bounced back from an early grade-2 ankle twist to finish the season with 62 high-flying appearances and 22.4 MPG.

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  6. 6

    Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers

    One answer reports 144 of 164 games, with minutes rising from 19.8 to 27.2; other answers provide different season totals, so the exact two-year figure is uncertain.

    Included it: MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: MiMo: 9 · Kimi: 8 · DeepSeek: 2

    What each AI noted 3
    • MiMoplace 9

      One hamstring tear erased 51 games — and his previous appearance had been March 27, 2025.

    • Kimiplace 8

      66 of 82 with a balky ankle as a sophomore, then answered by appearing across Portland's entire 2025-26 calendar — regular season, play-in and playoffs included.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 2

      144 of 164 games (88%) while his minutes jumped from 19.8 to 27.2 — a heavy workload handled without major injury.

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  7. 7

    Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

    He played 148 of 164 games in two seasons and averaged 28.2 minutes in 2025–26; the current hamstring strain is a new interruption.

    Included it: Claude, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 10 · Kimi: 5 · DeepSeek: 5

    What each AI noted 3
    • Claudeplace 10

      He played 78 games and then 70 at 28.2 minutes, and a hamstring strain has him out again.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 5

      148 of 164 while starting every single one of his last 148 games — a 19.5-point-a-night ironman who just left a game with a hamstring, his first flag in two years.

    • DeepSeekplace 5

      140 of 164 games (85%) and a +1.98 DARKO DPM — durable until this week's hamstring strain.

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  8. 8

    Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards

    He played 164 of 164 games across two seasons, the clearest availability lead; his minutes fell from 30.0 to 27.7 per game.

    Included it: Claude, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 1 · Kimi: 1

    What each AI noted 2
    • Claudeplace 1

      He is the first player since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016-17 to play every game in each of his first two seasons: 164 of 164.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 1

      164 of 164 — the only player on this list with a perfect attendance record across two full NBA seasons, averaging 28.8 minutes a night in the process.

    2 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  9. 9

    Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets

    He played 81 games at 31.5 minutes per game as a rookie, but has only one NBA season in the requested two-season window.

    Included it: Claude, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Claude: 3 · Kimi: 2

    What each AI noted 2
    • Claudeplace 3

      He played 81 games at 31.5 minutes as a rookie, but a hamstring issue has him out until about 26 Oct.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 2

      81 of 82 with a 31.5-minute rookie load — and he just led the entire NBA in made threes, the first rookie ever to do it.

      Source ↗
    2 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  10. 10

    Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder

    One answer reports 150 of 164 regular-season games over two seasons, including 82 in 2025–26; another reports 68 in 2024–25, so totals need source checking.

    Included it: Gemini, Kimi. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, MiMo, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.

    In their lists: Gemini: 3 · Kimi: 4

    What each AI noted 2
    • Geminiplace 3

      Suited up for all 82 regular-season contests and 10 playoff matchups as a rookie, never missing a training session or shootaround.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 4

      68 games in 2024-25, then a full 82-plus-10-playoffs season in 2025-26 — 92 total games, the heaviest calendar on this list.

    2 AIs put it here
    Source ↗

More about the top three ↓

02More about the top three

The ranking is above. Here is more about the three places at the top: what they are, why they are here, and what is worth knowing.

The players have different numbers of seasons, so their games played cover different time spans.

1Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

No. 1 — Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks. On the lists of 5 of 10 AIs; median place there: 8. A heavy rookie workload makes his 70 games especially notable, though one season gives only a short track record.

Duke at UNC, Mar 2025, Flagg
Hameltion · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

  • At 18, Flagg scored 49 points against Charlotte, setting an NBA record for most points by a teenager. He also broke Dallas’s rookie scoring record that night. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
What it is
A Dallas rookie who played 70 games.
Its edge
His 33.5 minutes per game show a heavy workload.
Who should know
Useful for readers comparing young players’ availability and workload.
  • Games available and workload70 of 82 games

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • Flagg played 70 games in 2025–26 and averaged 33.5 minutes per game, a heavy workload for a rookie. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • In 2025, Flagg sprained his ankle in Duke’s ACC tournament game and was carried off, raising fears he would miss March Madness. He returned for the NCAA tournament opener after missing two games.

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • His 70 games came in one rookie season, so they offer only a short track record.

    Source ↗

Video: Cooper Flagg Becomes Youngest 50-POINT SCORER in NBA History 🔥 | April 3, 2026 · NBA

Compare the top three ↓

2Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

No. 2 — Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs. On the lists of 4 of 10 AIs; median place there: 5.5. He played 149 of 164 games across two seasons, but missed more games than Carrington.

Did you know

  • Castle became the first Spurs rookie since Tim Duncan to rank in the team’s top two in both points and assists. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
What it is
A San Antonio player who appeared in 149 of 164 games.
Its edge
His availability spans two seasons.
Who should know
Useful for readers comparing young players’ availability over time.
  • Games available and workload149 of 164 games
History

  • In 2025, an MRI found a left hip flexor strain after Castle sat out the second half against Sacramento. The Spurs expected him to miss two to three weeks, just as teammate Victor Wembanyama also went onto the injury list.

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • Castle missed time after an MRI showed a left hip flexor strain; the Spurs expected him to miss two to three weeks.

    Source ↗

  • A later pelvic contusion also forced him out of a game after 12 minutes.

    Source ↗
DeepSeek put it first. What they saw in it

  • DeepSeek: 149 of 164 games (91%) over the last two seasons — the most available young star.

Compare the top three ↓

3Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls

No. 3 — Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls. On the lists of 3 of 10 AIs; median place there: 2. He played 77 games after 80 as a rookie, with his minutes rising as his role grew.

Matas Buzelis Jan 14 2026
Brady Saylor · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

  • Before joining the Bulls, Buzelis took a less common route to the NBA: he skipped college and played for the NBA G League Ignite. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
What it is
A Chicago player who appeared in 80 rookie games and 77 the next season.
Its edge
He started all 77 games in 2025–26.
Who should know
Useful for readers tracking young players’ availability as workload increases.
  • Games available and workload77 games

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • Buzelis played 80 games as a rookie and 77 in 2025–26, averaging 18.9 and then 29.2 minutes per game. — (voice only)

    Source ↗

  • He started all 77 games he played in 2025–26, after starting 31 of 80 as a rookie. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • In 2026, Buzelis returned from illness for Chicago’s final home game, then sprained his ankle early in the fourth quarter and left the court. It likely ended his season one game early.

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • His rookie playing time was limited at points: coach Billy Donovan said Buzelis was “not equipped to handle 30 minutes.”

    Source ↗
What people say

  • “Last year was extremely hard. There was no type of rhythm.” — Matas Buzelis

    Source ↗

Video: We Know Why Matas Buzelis Is Untouchable · 6Man

Compare the top three ↓

The top three side by side

Cooper Flagg, Dallas MavericksStephon Castle, San Antonio SpursMatas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
In the AIs' lists5 / 104 / 103 / 10
Games available and workload70 of 82 games149 of 164 games77 games
Put first by—DeepSeek—

Places with the same number of AIs are ordered by their average place in the AIs' own lists.

More ratings

03Worth knowing

What the AIs noticed while building the list.

Flagg combined 70 games with 33.5 minutes per game as a rookie, a heavier role than many reserve players who also had high availability.

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT. Did not include: Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.
Source ↗

One answer reports 18 players tied at 82 games in 2025–26, so a perfect season alone would not distinguish a player from the full-attendance group.

Noticed by:
Included it: ChatGPT. Did not include: Claude, Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.
Source ↗

Answers conflict on some season totals, including Amen Thompson and Donovan Clingan; those differences should be checked against the underlying season pages before treating the figures as settled.

Noticed by:
Included it: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, Kimi. Did not include: Claude, Meta, MiMo, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.
Source ↗

04Questions people ask

Who’s the most injury-prone NBA player?

There is no single official injury-proneness ranking in these answers. Games missed, calendar days lost and injury severity measure different things, and the young-player comparison does not establish one definitive player.

What NBA players are currently injured?

The injury trackers cited in the answers list players including Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Jalen Duren; statuses and estimates can change daily.

Source ↗
How long is a shoulder sprain recovery?

It depends on the severity and affected structure. Dallas said Flagg had a mild sprain and would be reevaluated the following week, but did not announce a fixed recovery duration.

How long is shoulder injury recovery?

The answers give no single reliable duration for all shoulder injuries. Flagg’s team announced only a reevaluation window; a surgically treated labrum injury was listed with a February estimate.

05How we counted

In plain words, no formulas.

1The question

Top 10 Most Durable Young NBA Stars

2Why this topic

Counting games played treats a mild sprain the same as a structural injury. This list weighs availability, workload and severity together, so readers can see which young stars are really durable.

3Where it applies

NBA players aged 22 or younger, last two seasons

4What we looked at

  • Share of team games the player was available for
  • Total days lost to injury, as tracked by an independent injury database
  • Minutes per game, as a measure of workload carried
  • Severity of injuries: minor sprains versus long-term structural injuries
  • Basketball-Reference — Games played and minutes per game by season; availability and workload, but not injury severity.
  • Jeff Stotts, In Street Clothes — Injury records and games or days lost tracked by a certified athletic trainer; not a universal durability score.
  • Spotrac — Reported days missed to injury and contract value lost; calendar days differ from games unavailable.

5Who ranked

The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.

6How the places were set

The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.

06Each AI's own list

🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Bub Carrington (Washington Wizards)

    He is the first player since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016-17 to play every game in each of his first two seasons: 164 of 164.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls)

    He went from 80 games at 18.9 minutes to 77 games at 29.2, with a heavier workload and almost no missed time.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets)

    He played 81 games at 31.5 minutes as a rookie, but a hamstring issue has him out until about 26 Oct.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets)

    He played all 82 games in 2025-26 at 26.2 minutes.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans Pelicans)

    A 19-year-old rookie who played all 82 games at 25.8 minutes.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Derik Queen (New Orleans Pelicans)

    A big man with 81 games and 25.0 minutes in year one.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)

    He started 75 of 75 games and led all rookies in minutes at 35.0 per game, the heaviest workload among these ten.

  8. 8
    Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs)

    He went from 81 games to 68 and had a hip flexor strain, a shoulder contusion and knee soreness, all soft-tissue problems.

  9. 9
    Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)

    He played 70 games at 33.5 minutes, and each injury so far (ankle, mid-foot, shoulder) has been a sprain rather than a structural one.

  10. 10
    Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)

    He played 78 games and then 70 at 28.2 minutes, and a hamstring strain has him out again.

    Source ↗

What Claude noticed

Carrington played every one of 164 games across two seasons. Only 11 players played all 82 in 2024-25.

Source ↗

Edgecombe's 35.0 minutes per game is the highest among the ten, so his 75 games came at a much heavier workload than Carrington's.

Source ↗

Victor Wembanyama (64 games in 2025-26) and Alex Sarr (48) show up in the same table with far fewer games.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets

    He played all 82 games in 2025–26 after appearing in 52 as a rookie.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets

    A 37.4-minute role across 79 games puts a heavy workload behind a strong availability season.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

    Seventy games as a rookie while averaging 33.5 minutes is a strong, workload-heavy debut.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

    He logged 68 games and 30.0 minutes per game in his second NBA season.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs

    A 69-game rookie season gives him the highest games-played total among the listed Spurs young guards.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

    He appeared in 62 of 82 games as a rookie.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets

    His 2025–26 availability improved by 30 games from his rookie year.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

    A 33.5-minute rookie workload makes his 70-game season more notable than a simple appearance count.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

    His 68 games came with 30 minutes per night, a substantial rookie workload.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs

    He appeared in 69 games but averaged a lighter 22.6 minutes than Castle.

    Source ↗

What ChatGPT noticed

The 2025–26 NBA games-played leaders included 18 players who appeared in all 82 games, so a perfect season is not unique evidence of exceptional durability.

Source ↗

Reed Sheppard went from 52 games and 12.6 minutes per game as a rookie to 82 games and 26.2 minutes in 2025–26.

Source ↗

Flagg combined 70 games with 33.5 minutes per game in his rookie season; that availability came under a much heavier role than a reserve’s.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 Meta10 places · 2 notes

The same question, answered by Meta alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Victor Wembanyama

    31.0 mpg at 7'4" 235 with +8.7 EPM — heaviest load for any 22-year-old

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Ron Holland

    159 of 164 possible games at 21 — 97% availability, best of 2024 draft class

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Stephon Castle

    21-year-old Spur started 78 games as rookie — zero structural injuries

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Alex Sarr

    21-year-old played 72 games at 22 mpg — no days lost to knee or foot

  5. 5
    Donovan Clingan

    22-year-old center 74 games 2025-26 — anchor despite 8.5 rpg load

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Scoot Henderson

    22-year-old 32.5 mpg second half 2025-26 — no missed games after January

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Zaccharie Risacher

    21-year-old 73 games last season — only 2 minor sprains, 0 surgeries

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Jalen Duren

    22-year-old 150 games last 2 seasons — first absence Oct 25 hamstring strain

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Cooper Flagg

    19-year-old 78 games as ROY — first missed game is mild left shoulder sprain now

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Reed Sheppard

    22-year-old 146 of 164 games last 2 seasons — current knee Out but history durable

    Source ↗

What Meta noticed

Ron Holland 159 of 164 possible games at 21 — 97% availability, most durable of 2024 class

Source ↗

Wembanyama carries 31.0 minutes and +8.7 EPM at 7'4" — heaviest two-way load for any 22-year-old

Source ↗
🇺🇸 Grok10 places · 2 notes

The same question, answered by Grok alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Cooper Flagg

    Played 70 of 82 games as a 19-year-old rookie while carrying heavy usage on a weak roster.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Amen Thompson

    Appeared in 79 games last season while leading the league in minutes and averaging 18.3 PPG.

  3. 3
    Stephon Castle

    Logged 68 games in Year 2 as a full-time point guard while posting 16.7 PPG and 7.4 APG.

  4. 4
    Victor Wembanyama

    Returned from blood-clot issues to dominate; availability improved but still not ironman-level over two seasons.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Jalen Duren

    Young center with solid availability outside of current hamstring; high defensive impact when healthy.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Dylan Harper

    High projected impact as a 20-year-old; early availability and workload will be watched closely.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Ausar Thompson

    Strong defensive EPM; availability has been solid relative to other high-energy young wings.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Dereck Lively II

    High defensive impact when available; prior foot surgery limited games.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Donovan Clingan

    Strong projected EPM as a young big; early-career availability has been relatively clean.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    AJ Dybantsa

    Top rookie prospect currently managing ankle sprain; long-term durability still unproven.

    Source ↗

What Grok noticed

Young big men as a group have shown lower availability rates in recent drafts, with several lottery centers missing significant time.

Source ↗

Flagg's 70 games as a teenager ranks among the higher availability marks for high-usage rookies.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 2 notes

The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Chet Holmgren

    Started all 82 games in his rookie season, logging 2,413 minutes and contesting 877 shots without losing a single day to injury.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Paolo Banchero

    Absorbed 35.0 minutes a night as Orlando's focal offensive driver across 152 games in two seasons with zero structural injuries.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Cason Wallace

    Suited up for all 82 regular-season contests and 10 playoff matchups as a rookie, never missing a training session or shootaround.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Jalen Green

    Completed all 82 games in 2023-24 while logging 2,602 minutes at extreme transition velocity without a single muscle strain.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Victor Wembanyama

    Appeared in 71 games despite severe defensive contact, logging 2,106 minutes and zero soft-tissue breakdowns.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Brandon Miller

    Carried Charlotte's primary scoring workload across 74 games and 2,380 minutes with only minor day-to-day ankle adjustments.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Jaime Jaquez Jr.

    Fought through 75 contests in Miami's physical culture as a 22-year-old rookie, handling 28.2 minutes per night.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Keyonte George

    Orchestrated Utah's backcourt over 75 games and 2,025 minutes without enduring structural ligament damage.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Bilal Coulibaly

    Logged 63 intense defensive matchups for Washington before a single freak wrist contusion closed his rookie campaign.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Amen Thompson

    Bounced back from an early grade-2 ankle twist to finish the season with 62 high-flying appearances and 22.4 MPG.

    Source ↗

What Gemini noticed

Chet Holmgren overcame his 2022 pre-draft Lisfranc injury to play in 100% of Oklahoma City's regular-season games in his official rookie season, logging over 2,400 minutes without missing a single contest.

Source ↗

Paolo Banchero has carried a 30%+ usage rate across 152 career games while maintaining a 95.1% availability rate, ranking highest in total heavy-contact volume among players under 23.

Source ↗
🇨🇳 MiMo10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by MiMo alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs)

    81 games as a rookie, 68 more at 30 minutes a night, all 23 playoff games at age 21 — 172 games before he can legally rent a car without the young-driver fee.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls)

    Every game he played in 2025-26 was a start — 77 of them at age 20.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)

    75 games and 35 minutes a night as a rookie: the class's heaviest workload never became an injury story.

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  4. 4
    Zaccharie Risacher (Dallas Mavericks)

    67 games in a season his role shrank — availability was never the question in Atlanta, usage was.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)

    999 points in his first 49 NBA games — exactly Luka Dončić's Dallas pace — before a mild shoulder sprain interrupted year two.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards)

    115 games in two seasons with every start — then a fractured right foot in an offseason workout and June surgery.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

    A blood clot cost him 30 games in 2024-25; his answer was a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and a trip to the Finals.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets)

    He set the rookie three-point record in April and has played zero games since straining his left hamstring on Sept. 25.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers)

    One hamstring tear erased 51 games — and his previous appearance had been March 27, 2025.

  10. 10
    Dereck Lively II (Dallas Mavericks)

    43 games in two seasons: an ankle stress fracture, a season-ending foot procedure, and the same right foot still keeping him out this October.

    Source ↗

What MiMo noticed

The cleanest durability record on this list belongs to Stephon Castle: 149 regular-season games plus 23 playoff games before turning 22 — at 30 minutes a night as a Finals lead guard.

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Severity beats counting: Wembanyama's 46-game 2024-25 came from a blood clot (a medical event, not wear), and 18 missed games last season barely hurt San Antonio — they went 12-6 without him.

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Dereck Lively II is the one structural-surgery case among these young stars: 43 career games in two seasons with two right-foot procedures before age 23 — foot injuries for 7-footers are the classic lasting-risk flag.

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🇨🇳 Kimi10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by Kimi alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards (2024-26)

    164 of 164 — the only player on this list with a perfect attendance record across two full NBA seasons, averaging 28.8 minutes a night in the process.

  2. 2
    Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets (2025-26)

    81 of 82 with a 31.5-minute rookie load — and he just led the entire NBA in made threes, the first rookie ever to do it.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans (2025-26)

    His first injury DNP — ever, at any level — came on Jan 2 of his rookie year; the other 81 games he played, starting 48 as a teenage center.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder (2024-26)

    68 games in 2024-25, then a full 82-plus-10-playoffs season in 2025-26 — 92 total games, the heaviest calendar on this list.

  5. 5
    Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons (2024-26)

    148 of 164 while starting every single one of his last 148 games — a 19.5-point-a-night ironman who just left a game with a hamstring, his first flag in two years.

  6. 6
    Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz (2025-26)

    72 of 82 while leading the Jazz in minutes as a 19-year-old — the hip injury that cost him ten games is the only smudge on the record.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs (2025-26)

    69 of 82 in the regular season, then a Finals run in which he guarded SGA, Edwards and Brunson — and scored a team-high 25 in an elimination game at age 20.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers (2024-26)

    66 of 82 with a balky ankle as a sophomore, then answered by appearing across Portland's entire 2025-26 calendar — regular season, play-in and playoffs included.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards (2024-26)

    The Wizards' 22-year-old two-way wing logged a gap-free 2025-26 game log — every check-in from October 30 to April 10 is his.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers (2025-26)

    All-Rookie First Team at 20 with the third-best scoring average of his class — the smallest sample on this list, which is the only reason he's tenth and not top-five.

    Source ↗

What Kimi noticed

The superstar paradox: Victor Wembanyama played 110 of 164 games over the last two seasons (46 in 2024-25, ended by a blood clot; 64 in 2025-26) — 67% availability makes the best under-22 player in the world ineligible for a durability list, and a blood clot is a medical flag rather than wear-and-tear.

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Durability is not invincibility: the #2 (Knueppel) and #5 (Duren) players on this list are both out with hamstring strains on the same October weekend — short soft-tissue absences are the normal tax of heavy minutes, which is why severity, not games missed, does the real sorting.

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The 2025 rookie class is unusually available: Derik Queen's first injury DNP ever came Jan 2, 2026, and StatMuse's rookie leaderboard has multiple players tied at 82 games — suggesting this list will look very different (and stronger) in two years.

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🇨🇳 DeepSeek10 places · 2 notes

The same question, answered by DeepSeek alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Stephon Castle (Spurs, 21)

    149 of 164 games (91%) over the last two seasons — the most available young star.

  2. 2
    Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers, 22)

    144 of 164 games (88%) while his minutes jumped from 19.8 to 27.2 — a heavy workload handled without major injury.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Anthony Black (Magic, 22)

    142 of 164 games (87%) and a 64-game 2025-26 season despite Orlando's crowded backcourt.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks, 21)

    142 of 164 games (87%) in his first two seasons, with a 75-game rookie year.

  5. 5
    Jalen Duren (Pistons, 22)

    140 of 164 games (85%) and a +1.98 DARKO DPM — durable until this week's hamstring strain.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Reed Sheppard (Rockets, 22)

    134 of 164 games (82%) and all 82 games in 2025-26 after a 52-game rookie year.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Alex Sarr (Wizards, 21)

    115 of 164 games (70%), but a 48-game 2025-26 season shows durability is still a work in progress.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Bilal Coulibaly (Wizards, 22)

    115 of 164 games (70%) with a 56-game 2025-26 season, but his minutes and role grew.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Victor Wembanyama (Spurs, 22)

    110 of 164 games (67%) — the lowest availability among these young stars, largely due to a blood clot that ended his 2024-25 season.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Keyonte George (Jazz, 22)

    108 of 164 games (66%) despite carrying a 33.1 minutes-per-game workload — high usage, but too many missed games.

    Source ↗

What DeepSeek noticed

Reed Sheppard played all 82 games in 2025-26 after just 52 as a rookie, showing that durability can improve sharply with a full offseason.

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Donovan Clingan's minutes jumped by 7.4 per game while he still played 77 games, a sign that his body is adapting to a larger workload.

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🇨🇳 Wenxin10 places · 1 notes

The same question, answered by Wenxin alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Chet Holmgren

    7-foot big man aged 22 played 82 full games in 2025-26, logging 30.1 minutes per game with zero games missed to structural injury across two seasons

  2. 2
    Cooper Flagg

    20-year-old 2025 rookie missed 0 regular season games in his debut 2025-26 season, playing 34.2 minutes per game before his mild October 2026 shoulder sprain

  3. 3
    Cade Cunningham

    22-year-old Pistons guard played 80 games in 2025-26, with no structural long-term injuries logged in the last two full NBA seasons

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Cason Wallace

    22-year-old Thunder guard signed 5-year $139M extension after playing 79 games in 2025-26 with zero DNP-CD or injury absences outside a 1-day minor illness

  5. 5
    Paolo Banchero

    23-year-old forward (just under 22 at start of tracked 2024-25 season) played 77 games in 2025-26, only sidelined once for a mild ankle sprain as of October 2026

  6. 6
    Anthony Edwards

    22-year-old Timberwolves guard played all 82 games in 2025-26, with no serious injuries over the last two seasons

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Jalen Duren

    22-year-old Pistons big man missed only 3 games across 2024-25 and 2025-26, despite carrying 28 minutes per game of center workload

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Brandin Podziemski

    22-year-old Warriors guard only missed 2 games in 2025-26, with his current October 2026 back issue listed as day-to-day minor soreness

  9. 9
    Keyonte George

    21-year-old Jazz guard played 76 games in 2025-26, with zero long-term injury absences through his first two NBA seasons

  10. 10
    Ausar Thompson

    21-year-old Pistons wing played 75 games in 2025-26, with his only absences coming from minor in-game knocks that did not require multi-week rest

What Wenxin noticed

The top 5 most durable young stars all logged at least 77 games played in 2025-26, even as the league average minutes per game for starting guards over 32 continues to rise

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🇨🇳 Qwen10 places · 2 notes

The same question, answered by Qwen alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Cooper Flagg

    Suiting up for 70 games as a 19-year-old rookie shatters the modern blueprint of load-managing teenage phenoms.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Victor Wembanyama

    Logging 64 games and a deep playoff run at 7-foot-4 breaks every historical durability model for centers his size.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Jalen Duren

    Anchoring the Pistons' paint at 22 years old requires a heavy-minute workload that most young big men simply cannot sustain.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Scoot Henderson

    Playing 73 games while shouldering a massive usage rate proves his explosive frame can handle the brutal pace of an NBA season.

  5. 5
    Kon Knueppel

    An objectively better rookie net-rating impact than Flagg came with the durability to stay on the floor night after night.

  6. 6
    Jared McCain

    Absorbing a 28.7% usage rate as a 22-year-old guard without breaking down highlights an elite baseline of physical resilience.

  7. 7
    Stephon Castle

    Taking on heavy defensive assignments and transition minutes as a rookie without missing time sets a high floor for his career longevity.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Cody Williams

    A 90%+ availability rate for a long, athletic wing proves his body can handle the lateral stress of NBA perimeter defense.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Kel'el Ware

    Minimal days lost to injury while transitioning into a rotation center role shows rare structural soundness for a modern big.

  10. 10
    Donovan Clingan

    Averaging over 26 minutes of bruising paint play as a 22-year-old without major lower-body tweaks defies typical center development curves.

    Source ↗

What Qwen noticed

Playing 70 games as a 19-year-old rookie makes Cooper Flagg an anomaly; most teenage phenoms miss 15-20 games to load management or minor soft tissue tweaks.

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Victor Wembanyama playing 64 regular-season games plus a deep playoff run at 7-foot-4 fundamentally breaks the historical durability curve for centers his size, who traditionally break down by age 23.

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