The NBA denies any connection between the injuries and the schedule

This start of the NBA season was marked by an avalanche of injuries, especially calf strains, the injuries they suffered Victor Vembanyama. Analyst Jeff Stotts investigated the issue and noted a 40% jump in the number of shin injuries this season, with 25 cases since the start of this campaign, compared to 18 last season.

To discover the origin of these numerous injuries, many pointed their finger at the calendar and it was noticeable the case of Steve Kerrpointing out the too many trips his team made early in the season. For others like John Hollinger de Athleticthe busy schedule of the NBA Cup could be the cause of the increase in these injuries.

Faced with these questions, the NBA claims it looked for a correlation between its calendar and injuries. An investigation at the end of which the Major League concluded… that there was no connection between the two.

Leftovers from last season

In a rather annoyed press releaseNBA spokesman Mike Buss said: “John Hollinger’s hypothesis that the NBA Cup resulted in a tight schedule, which led to more player injuries, is not supported by our data. In fact, the NBA played almost the same number of games in 42 days this season (308) as last season (307). These figures are a continuation of those from the games before the Cup in 2020 and 331 in 331 in 2021. The NBA Cup did not lead to a tight schedule at the beginning of the season.

The NBA even assures that the number of games missed by stars due to injury is decreasing.

“During the first six weeks of the season, the number of injuries forcing stars to miss games is at a six-year low, 25 percent less than last season. While many players missed games due to injuries last season, it is incorrect to say there is an increase in missed games this season due to scheduling.” continued in the press release.

The problem of distribution

In its study, however, the NBA was satisfied with a pure analysis of the number of games played this season and the number of injuries, which does not necessarily correspond to the reality on the field.

Because the problem is not so much in the number of matches played, but in their distribution. Because of the NBA Cup, the league has been forced to shorten the early season schedule for certain periods, with many teams going on long “road trips” across the United States in periods where they play “back-to-back” games or play four games in seven days, as was the case with the Raptors. who admitted he was tired after being eliminated against the Knicks in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

A series of encounters that can tire the body and therefore increase the risk of injury. Especially since the NBA didn’t mention a case of increased calf strain in its press release…