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Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum talks Achilles injury and emotional impact<\/p>\n
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum shares all the emotions he went through in the moments after he tore his Achilles tendon in the NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama are just two of the NBA\u2019s stars missing games due to injuries, a problem that appears to be worsening.Players are running faster and farther than ever before, putting additional strain on their bodies.Teams may be taking a more cautious approach, resting players with minor injuries to prevent more serious ones.<\/p>\n
It was early in the season, but Giannis Antetokounmpo was playing MVP-caliber basketball<\/a>. Victor Wembanyama, too.<\/p>\n Yet, Antetokounmpo tweaked his groin<\/a> and Wembanyama strained his calf<\/a>, and both their teams, the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> and San Antoino Spurs<\/a>, played their respective games Thursday night without them.<\/p>\n Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama are just two of the NBA\u2019s stars suffering time lost to injury, a problem that appears to be worsening. Names like Anthony Edwards<\/a>, Ja Morant<\/a>, Zion Williamson<\/a>, Anthony Davis<\/a> have also littered the list and point to a larger question: does the NBA have an injury problem, and what might be causing it?<\/p>\n Yahoo Sports compiled data<\/a> through the first 15 games of the 2025-26 season and found that NBA stars had already lost 213 games due to injury, more than double the total from two seasons ago (100).<\/p>\n Much like the discussion around Achilles ruptures<\/a>, the dominant causes for this rash of injuries appear to be multi-factorial and tough to pin down. In conversations with people around the league, however, speed and pace are mentioned most often, though the reality is likely more nuanced.<\/p>\n IN DEPTH: From Tatum to Haliburton, why are Achilles injuries surging in the NBA?<\/a><\/p>\n Physiques have changed over the past few decades, with players bulking muscle and shedding body fat with an emphasis on speed. This, coupled with the constant and abrupt starting and stopping of explosive movements may be putting extra strain on muscles and tendons.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the prototype for forwards and centers has changed; they\u2019re being asked to handle the ball and push transition, to stretch the floor with perimeter shooting. Essentially, they\u2019re being asked to play like guards in the bodies of bigs.<\/p>\n And coaches, by and large, have determined that fast break points are the easiest way to gain an edge.<\/p>\n TOP NBA ROOKIES: Kon Knueppel shoots to top of USA TODAY Sport’s latest rankings<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very concerned,\u201d Warriors coach Steve Kerr said<\/a> Tuesday, Nov. 19. \u201cIt\u2019s dramatic, the pace difference is dramatic. I think across the league, everybody understands now it\u2019s just easier to score if you beat the opponent down the floor, get out in transition. But when everybody is doing that, the game is much higher-paced, and everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have all the data: players are running faster and further than ever before, so we\u2019re trying to do the best we can to protect them, but we basically have a game every other night and it\u2019s not an easy thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr added that the Warriors<\/a> training staff believes the cumulative wear and tear, pace and the speed at which players are moving all factor in to this rash of injuries across the NBA.<\/p>\n Pace, distance, weight all play a role<\/p>\n The rise in pace, or possessions per 48 minutes, is often blamed as the primary cause for injuries, though this needs more context.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true that pace has been steadily increasing since the record lows of the late 1990s (88.9; set in 1998-99). Yet, the pace in the modern game is nowhere near record highs.<\/p>\n Through Wednesday\u2019s games, NBA games were averaging a pace of 100.5, which is up notably over last season (98.8), but comparable to the 2019-20 season (100.3), which concluded in the bubble in Orlando.<\/p>\n
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