Steve Kerr is concerned about the rise in injuries

The NBA is on the brink of an injury crisis.

With the pace of play more intense and fast-paced than ever before, combined with an already grueling 82-game schedule, it’s hard to ignore the rise in soft tissue injuries around the league. In front Golden State Warriors‘ away game against the Orlando Magic, Steve Kerr told reporters he was “very concerned” when asked about the NBA’s recent spate of injuries.

“(Our medical staff) believes that wear and tear, speed, pace, mileage are all factors in these injuries,” Kerr said, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

In just the past week, the Bucks lost a star Giannis Antetokounmpo to a groin strain that will sideline him for at least 1-2 weeks while the surging Spurs lose Victor Vembanyama to a left calf strain and Stephon Castle to a hip flexor strain for the foreseeable future, who have already buckled from rookie Dylan Harper’s calf strain.

And the tensions don’t end there. Anthony Davis, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday and Ty Jerome are also currently missing time with their calf strains. Meanwhile, OG Anunoby, Jaylen Green and Cam Thomas are also out with respective hamstring injuries.

Not to mention the fact that Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard are all rehabbing Achilles injuries they each suffered in the playoffs just last calendar year.

An unholy combination of a faster pace and a condensed schedule

Injuries have always been a part of the NBA, just like any professional sports league. But things are a little different this season, given how the “meta” of the game, so to speak, favors teams that emphasize pace and speed. The league’s average pace of 100.5 this season, which is the estimated number of possessions per game in 48 minutes, is the highest ever from the 1988-89 seasonaccording to Basketball Reference.

“Everybody around the league understands that it’s easier to score if you beat your opponent on the floor, get out in transition,” Kerr said. “But when everybody’s doing it, the games are a lot faster. Everybody has to get to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s. We have all the data. Players are running faster and farther (than) before. We’re trying to do our best, but basically we have a game every other night. It’s not an easy thing.”

That style of play is especially difficult given the NBA’s naturally condensed 82-game schedule. Golden State’s early schedule gives a good snapshot of the rigors of the NBA. At the end of their current trip, when they reach Miami, they will play 17 games in 29 days in 13 different cities. On 95.7 The Game radio, Kerr described it as the “toughest early schedule” he’s ever been on.

So when you combine the fact that he has, on average, more possessions per game, with the idea that each of those possessions is played at a much more intense and rigorous level, along with a condensed 82-game schedule, the simple conclusion is that the wear and tear on the bodies of these NBA players is immense.

Kerr offers a solution

None of this is new from Kerr. The Warriors coach has long been a proponent of cutting the NBA schedule from 82 games to 72. He said the rest between games and practices helps manage wear and tear on players’ bodies. Kerr echoed that sentiment in the same pregame presser.

“We literally didn’t have one practice on this trip. Not one. We’re gone a week or more. Eight days, not one practice. It’s just game, game, game. So not only is there no time to recover, no time to practice. What was different was during the day, you had four (games) in five nights, which wasn’t great between days and four days, but then you had a day off. good practices.”

Kerr’s warriors have already had their share of soft tissue injuries. Moses Moody missed the first week of the season with a nagging calf strain. Jonathan Kuminga has missed the previous three games with knee tendonitis after exiting midway through the Warriors’ opener against San Antonio. Not to mention the fact that the ages of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler affect how strictly the team manages their bodies.

But while Kerr’s concerns and mounting injuries point to the need for monumental change, the longtime NBA lifer expressed doubt that the league will seriously consider reducing the schedule.

“The tricky part is that all voters would have to agree to take less revenue,” Kerr said. “In 2025 America, good luck in any industry. Imagine a big company saying, ‘You know what, we’re not that worried about our stock price. We’re actually worried about hiring people and giving people stable jobs and improving our product.’ That doesn’t happen. You know that.”