Injuries in the modern NBA

[Mylie10]

I recently read something about injuries in the NBA. The gist of the story was, that never before in the league have players had to guard as much space as they do now. So both offense and defensive players are cutting and moving more because of the amount of range players shoot from.

More lateral movement on the knees and ankles. More running, cutting, and stopping than in previous years. And I don't see this trend slowing down as players move farther and farther out.

In the old days the space was limited. Most games were played inside the three point line. Players dealt with more post play, and one on one. There have always been teams who moved the ball, but Now it's a different game completely.

Unfortunately this is how it's gonna be. Cross your fingers! And your legs! For health!!!

[Old_Blue]

I recently read something about injuries in the NBA. The gist of the story was, that never before in the league have players had to guard as much space as they do now. So both offense and defensive players are cutting and moving more because of the amount of range players shoot from.

More lateral movement on the knees and ankles. More running, cutting, and stopping than in previous years. And I don't see this trend slowing down as players move farther and farther out.

In the old days the space was limited. Most games were played inside the three point line. Players dealt with more post play, and one on one. There have always been teams who moved the ball, but Now it's a different game completely.

Unfortunately this is how it's gonna be. Cross your fingers! And your legs! For health!!!

Good post. You've also got to wonder about the body type required to cover the additional space. Is it just me or are there far more painfully skinny dudes in the league now? Brandon Ingram used to be the exception. Now, he's closer to the norm. No muscle. All limbs and joints. That's got to be a contributing factor to all these injuries.

[Badly Browned]

Yeah, I think the NBA is gonna have to either reduce the amount of regular season games, or lengthen the regular season, they gotta allow more rest time in between games.

[SpreeChokeJob]

I don’t even understand how Klay injured himself again with all these medical and physical therapists experts available. It seemed preventable. He must have felt some discomfort prior to the injury.

[Mylie10]

Yeah, I think the NBA is gonna have to either reduce the amount of regular season games, or lengthen the regular season, they gotta allow more rest time in between games.

To your point, they tried to really reduce the amount of back to backs. But the pandemic ruined that.

And I have to admit that this season has also been affected by not having an offseason. But we’ve been having more of these type of injuries it seems, for a few years prior to the pandemic.

[Mylie10]

I don’t even understand how Klay injured himself again with all these medical and physical therapists experts available. It seemed preventable. He must have felt some discomfort prior to the injury.

So think about what was said in regards to the way Klay has played? And up until his injury he has been an iron man playing in five straight finals. That’s like an extra year on his body.

But Klay is a perfect example of all that running, cutting, stopping, and playing defense out in space, of the toll it takes on your lower half.

[Badly Browned]

Yeah, I think the NBA is gonna have to either reduce the amount of regular season games, or lengthen the regular season, they gotta allow more rest time in between games.

To your point, they tried to really reduce the amount of back to backs. But the pandemic ruined that.

And I have to admit that this season has also been affected by not having an offseason. But we’ve been having more of these type of injuries it seems, for a few years prior to the pandemic.

Yeah, reduced the B2B but the overall is still a compressed schedule playing like 3-4 games a week.

[SpreeChokeJob]

I don’t even understand how Klay injured himself again with all these medical and physical therapists experts available. It seemed preventable. He must have felt some discomfort prior to the injury.

So think about what was said in regards to the way Klay has played? And up until his injury he has been an iron man playing in five straight finals. That’s like an extra year on his body.

But Klay is a perfect example of all that running, cutting, stopping, and playing defense out in space, of the toll it takes on your lower half.

His first injury was a freak accident. His second injury in my opinion was most likely due to his first injury and not due to his past time playing.

I think the rehab specialists focus on strengthening but couldn’t assess whether any discomfort would cause any future problem. If something doesn’t feel right, these people need to tell the athletes to stop because they will keep going even when they are playing hurt. It’s not worth it to get back sooner.

[Old_Blue]

I don’t even understand how Klay injured himself again with all these medical and physical therapists experts available. It seemed preventable. He must have felt some discomfort prior to the injury.

So think about what was said in regards to the way Klay has played? And up until his injury he has been an iron man playing in five straight finals. That’s like an extra year on his body.

But Klay is a perfect example of all that running, cutting, stopping, and playing defense out in space, of the toll it takes on your lower half.

Klay was also starting to push himself a little too hard. Never known for dunking, he was being egged on by teammates to go for it. Curry tried to dunk and failed miserably. Just not a good idea.

[shazam_guy]

I don't think Klay hurt himself because of dunking. Players are ripping knees all over the place lately, usually during the course of normal play.

I definitely feel like I'm seeing more knee injuries this year, but that's anecdotal. If there is truth to it, I think the screwed-up season last year and its knock-on affects probably have a lot to do with it, but the spread court of the modern game also probably contributes.

Maybe it's time to move the three point line back a little farther and re-value the two-point shot. Curry would still dominate from three.