It seems each NBA season there is an increase in injuries. However, there haven’t been this many injuries to star players to start a season in some time.
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Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Trae Young, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard are all out for a significant time. The worst part is this list of players isn’t even close to the total amount of stars who are on the sidelines.
It’s difficult to find the specific cause for these injuries, since they can be so specific. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pointed to the league’s increase in pace as the cause for many of the injuries across the association.
“[The Warriors’ medical staff] believes that the wear and tear, the speed, the pace, the mileage is factoring into these injuries,” Kerr said to the media.
Kerr and the Warriors aren’t the only ones to share such a sentiment. The Miami Heat and Erik Spoelstra are in the same boat.
“[Practices] can’t be done the way it’s structured right now,” Spoelstra said to the media.
The pace of play in the NBA is the highest it’s been since the 1988-89 season. As a result, players require more time for their bodies to recover between games. The constant wear and tear has put a strain on soft tissues, such as the Achilles tendon. Potentially, the reason why so many players are dealing with calf issues, which lead to Achilles injuries.
NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki might not be around professional medical staff as much as Kerr and Spoelstra, but he doesn’t stray too far from their opinion. As a former player, he can speak on the impact pace can have on the body. Despite playing in a more physical era, what he’s seeing players endure is more gruelling than anything he experienced.
“There is definitely more wear and tear,” Nowitzki said on NBA on Prime. The recognition surrounding injuries is great, but Nowitzki offers a slightly updated perspective to the whole debate.
“My question is, if your demand is higher during a game, are we preparing ourselves also for that higher demand? Are we on off days? I can’t go 100% in-game, then the next day I do nothing on a day off. Then go 100% again in a game, and then I go 0% the next day,” Nowitzki added.
By no means does Nowitzki think the players are to blame for their injuries. However, players need to ensure they are doing all the right things to remain in optimal shape.
That may be the change that needs to happen going forward. Of course, not every player has the resources like LeBron James to take care of their body. That doesn’t mean players shouldn’t take care of themselves at all. Hopefully, Nowitzki’s words fall on the right ears and can help pave the way for a new era of health in the NBA.
