We might be entering a new era of permanently masked guards in the NBA. Mike Conley already said he’ll continue to wear his mask this season, and now Derrick Rose, who has to wear a mask as he recovers from an orbital fracture, is taking it one step further.
How long for mask? "I hate getting my face touched so if I’m feeling it and we’re playing good, you might see it for the rest of my career"
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 15, 2015
Harrison Barnes, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and others, have all worn masks after suffering various facial injuries. But once they were able to take them off, they never donned them again, preferring the risk of re-injury to the scratchy mask that can feel claustrophobic and itchy.
Rip Hamilton was the iconic masked guard of the 2000s, and no player has yet to take up that mantle. That’s understandable considering how masks generally aren’t comfortable to begin with (Halloween can be a miserable time if you’re allergic to latex) and become even more so when you’re sweating profusely for 48 minutes.
To some, though — like Hamilton, Rose and Conley — the mental comfort the mask provides outweighs the physical discomfort. Broken noses and facial fractures are painful, and the recovery is only slightly more pleasant (seriously, Conley couldn’t even freaking sneeze after his fracture). The mask is a security blanket, if nothing else. There’s a barrier between your once-broken face and any elbow/knee/other object that might threaten to break it again. The protection it provides gives immense peace of mind.
