Over the past couple of weeks the NBA has been hit with a rash of player injuries. With this increase, there is growing alarm over the impact of such an unforgiving calendar. After Giannis Antetokounmpo strained his groin, there went the Bucks’ defensive anchor. On the flip side, Victor Wembanyama is working through a left calf strain. She’s not the only elite athlete on the shelf with a calf strain right now. This Smart List is headlined by Anthony Davis, Ty Jerome, Dylan Harper, Ja Morant, and Jrue Holiday.
No one is more under the financial gun than the Golden State Warriors, one of those house money teams. Having just finished their fifth set of back-to-backs in the first month of the season, they did not let fatigue become an excuse. After playing against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday evening, they flew down to Miami for a game on Wednesday. This hectic schedule has resulted in the Warriors playing a league-high 17 games in just 29 days, spanning across 12 cities.
Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, has been very vocal about it. Like his dad, he fears the speed at which the NBA is moving now. He sees the increased tempo and frequency of games as playing an important role in creating this risk of injuries, which is particularly high. Kerr for one is an evangelist on the topic of reducing the number of games in the regular season. Instead, he suggests capping the season at 72 games or fewer.
“We literally haven’t had a single practice on this road trip,” – Steve Kerr
Kerr further explained just how big of a burden the breakneck pace of play that has recently taken over the league can be on a player’s health. He acknowledged that more frequently teams were doing a great job of getting out into fast breaks, getting the edge on their opponent in transition to create that opportunity. Though this approach can result in increased point totals and top-notch ratings, it requires more physical effort on the part of players.
“Across the league, everyone understands that it’s easier to score if you beat the opponent down the floor, get out in transition,” – Steve Kerr
As Kerr points out, this frenetic style is hard on one’s body. His main point was to underscore how much teams are focusing on speed and efficiency. It’s no surprise then that athletes are racing faster and farther than ever before! This is a trend that’s been clearly documented in the new data we have available on player performance.
“But when everybody’s doing that, the games are much higher-paced. Everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s. We have all the data. Players are running faster and further than before. We’re trying to do the best we can, but we basically have a game every other night. It’s not an easy thing to do,” – Steve Kerr
So as much as Kerr has concerns, he knows that any meaningful change to the league’s schedule would need to be agreed upon by a wide array of stakeholders. He admitted cutting back the schedule would require them reaching consensus on a revenue sharing plan.
“The tricky part is all the constituents would have to agree to take less revenue,” – Steve Kerr
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