Scan the headlines on our website and most of them involve injuries to star players.
Ankle sprains. Toe sprains. Calf strains. Knee soreness. Shin problems. Back problems. You name it, somebody in the trainer’s room has got it.
There are always going to be injuries during the course of a season but it seems as if today’s players are more susceptible, despite supposed advancements in training methods and dietary practices.
Coaches are more than willing to give their regulars an occasional game off, something that commissioner Adam Silver recently addressed concern about, considering that many fans buy tickets to see the best players in action. Early this week, Warriors coach Steve Kerr rested his Big Three and Andrew Wiggins and it wasn’t the only time during the first six weeks of the season he’s done that.
Yet the extra rest doesn’t seem to have any impact on keeping players healthy.
Look back 20 seasons ago and you may be surprised to see how rare it was for top players to sit out a game. Among the top 50 scorers in the 2002/03 season, 32 of them missed five or fewer games during the regular season.
Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Allan Houston, Antawn Jamison, Jalen Rose and Jamal Mashburn – all among the top 15 in scoring – appeared in every game. Tim Duncan and Stephon Marbury missed only one game apiece, and Dirk Nowitzki sat out just two games.
The schedule back then was more difficult than it is now. There were more back-to-backs and occasions when teams played four games in five nights. Yet players across the league regularly answered the bell and suited up.
Now, it’s very rare for any player to appear in all 82 games, let alone the stars of the team.
That brings us to today’s question: Why do think so many players are getting injured and nursing ailments? Do you believe current training methods and practices are flawed, or are there other factors at play?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
I feel like It’s a strategic move from most teams. Realising that it is a long 82 game grind, you can afford to give players a break, especially with the new play-in system. If you are good enough you will still be in the top 10 and can take things from there with a fresher roster. If all teams are resting their stars collectively, no one team has a direct advantage. In the end the players profit the most and we as fans get to see them go at it when it really matters.
Kerr is resting Wiggins for absolutely no reason, Wiggins has no injury issues and is in his physical prime at age 27. There’s zero reason at all he shouldn’t be playing Lebron minutes.
Wow you’re so knowledgeable, why aren’t you a coach again?
It probably wasn’t his career of choice, or maybe he is Steve Kerr second guessing himself, either way his point is valid…players have been coddled into “I have to feel 100% to play” and back then it was “wipe some dirt on it and play on” both ways are probably wrong
I doubt many of us here are qualified to answer this question scientifically. Oh well… here goes…
My first guess is probably pace of play.
The game has changed since then, and while it is less physical, it’s much more run and jump intensive. They are running and flying at great speeds and stopping that momentum creates torque. I can’t imagine that’s easy on the soft tendons and ligaments keeping everything in place.
Players are cutting weight rather than bulking up, and that may have something to do with their ability to take whatever hits or falls they endure.
I’d also be curious to see the types of injuries back then compared to today. Maybe there were more bone breaks from hard contact than there are currently ligament tears from non-contact plays.
I haven’t looked into this, but I wonder if careers are seeing greater longevity as a result of all this rest? Or maybe today’s players will see fewer complications with their bodies when their careers are over?
A lot of the older players end up fairly broken down and required regular surgeries well after retirement. So maybe the real payoff is in 20 years?
Regarding training practices, maybe there is more of an effort to maintain peak performance in smaller sample sizes? As opposed to the building the body to maintain an a generally high level through a longer season.
I have no idea. Not a sport scientist or kinesiologist. Not even the experts are in full agreement on best practices, as evidenced by the Kawhi saga in San Antonio.
Inquisitive and well-constructed response. Good to see the occasional commenter who isn’t plagued by their own cognitive bias
Guys play less, get injured more. The train harder and longer tho. They have more rehab options than ever. You can say the dudes in the 80s and 90s aren’t the athletes of today, but they played.
My theory on injury is
Low cut sneakers
They don’t protect like the old
Force and Flights of the Power game of Yore.
I don’t understand the footwear game. Idiots playing in crocs, slides, and pros in low cut sneakers. I’ll only ever play w high tops or at worst mid cut. I feel weird as hell if I shoot around in trainers.
There have actually been quite a few studies proving that low tops have no significantly higher risk of injury. I believe there were even some injuries that occurred more with high tops.
Teams should refund the fans when they don’t play the star players that fans pay to watch… can you imagine the cheek to charge a fortune for tickets to watch the G-League team play!!!
I hate all the resting players, can’t understand how players are happy not to play, something that I will never understand, like at all!
Another person speaking on something that he knows absolutely nothing about.
These teams have a heap of technology, at their disposal, to determine what the best course of action is.
They can literally predict (With very high accuracy) how likely it is for a player to get injured, based on the amount of basketball he has played and the type of duress his body was under while he was playing.
With that being said, when you invest as much money as these teams do, would you want a worn down player who is incapable of winning when it matters? Eventually breaking down and never being the same? Or do you want to be strategic about the level of talent that you have access to? And extend your window?
I realize I sound like an old man in offering this thought. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, there was a different mentality. It was team first basketball. It wasn’t just a game. It was life. It was like going to war against your hated rivals … I believe several factors changed that drastically. (1) Marketing. Social media and the internet created a new way for players to brand themselves and monetize that. Image, “getting what’s mine” and sensitivity to longevity in careers replaced the grit and the battling. (2) Agents and lawyers. Need we look any farther than Ben Simmons? “Protect my client’s best interest or he will walk” replaced the grind. “We will sue you if we can prove negligence.” (3) LeBron, as skilled as he is, transformed the game when he ushered in the Big 3 Banana Boat Era. GMs lost their power to build teams and instead it was players building relationships and deciding who they wanted to play with. Because the players have the leverage, they are catered to as royalty. Don’t want to play a back-to-back? No problem. (4) A good point was made earlier by a poster that talks about the watered down playoffs. You can be a sub .500 team and get in. The regular season lost meaning and so player health and freshness is prioritzed over reliability, team chemistry and consistency. (5) Ownership now gives clear directives to teams on what outcomes they are playing for. If you’re a contender, being healthy for the postseason is what matters most. If you’re not, the team is motivated to put the worst players out there to improve draft position. A lot of phantom injuries show up (6) Medical and training advancements have changed and there is more awareness then there was back in the day. Take concussion diagnoses and protocols, fit example … Summing up, I don’t believe the way the game is played is necessarily spiking the amount of injuries. I believe most of those same injuries were happening 20 and 30 years ago … they just played through them.
Apparently #6 has not arrived in Charlotte.
It’s weed
Yes, the NBA has gone soft. Players used to take pride in their job/work. These days the players have fanatics that support their degenerate, lazy, behavior regardless of their effort & how much they are paid. When you should be held to a high standard, yet continually set the bar low with no repercussions? This is what you get. Athletes that think fanatics will pay them for doing nothing.
Kawhi Leonard is on his way to winning the most money paid for the least amount of games played award again. He was the runaway winner last year…0 games played for $39 million. The award should be named after Kawhi who has been paid so much for doing so little.
Based on the info we have a available, there is no proof that injuries happen more. Just that guys play less. Way more info is needed to even begin to assess the topic
Players and teams today do not prepare and practice enough like the 80 and 90′ 2000. Players are so much more weakers in drive as the money is high and the teams protecting their investment. The passion for Player to play is so far gone. They don’t when want to play 82 games. It is very sad