Why were players so much more durable 15 years ago?

[DOT]

I mean, it's basically everything everyone's said

First, we just know more about the human body, you see Haliburton tearing his Achilles from playing through a calf strain, that's why guys don't play through minor injuries in the regular season anymore

You also have the increased pace, like in 2014 (earliest data nba.com has), the Spurs ran the most of any team at 17.77 miles per game, that'd be 4th least today, which isn't just pace but the way defense is played, like go back and watch some games from 20 years ago, watch off ball defense, they're all just kinda standing around, where today there's constant movement, you need to guard all 5 players at all times now

Then something else is the amount of wear and tear they have growing up, like I assume back in the day you just played in high school, then college, then NBA, but now you have AAU pushing kids to their limits, which also has adverse effects on learning kids how to play the game

Guys might not play every game and play less minutes, but careers are lasting longer because of it.

[bledredwine]

Players load manage more, saving themselves,

and it results in a longer career.

Look at this across sports - Messi, Mayweather, Pacman, Lebron all have ridiculous longevity.

Steph looks to potentially be similar. 40 is the new 35 when it comes to those guys.

Lebron always played though. in his 1st 15 years, he missed more than 8 games only twice

But he has consistently loaded managed and after he dropped weight the year they tested and had a poor year, he’s almost certainly on steroids as well.

He’s also taken plenty of load management in game, taking possessions relaxed or even even off on defense. He manages his energy in a different way than those of the past.

That said, an interview with KG and Pierce came out where they both discussed how little the players condition compared to the past, and say many even skip calves, which is the impirtant muscle to protect the achilles. They’re convinced it’s a lack of work ethic. They also mentioned how players are on their phones at half time.

It all contributes. We don’t see blue collar anymore.

[pipfan]

I think it's obvious that there are a number of factors
1-Playing style leads to more wear-and-tear
2-Players softer today/teams more cautious
3-Players train SO MUCH now, no down time to recover
4-AAU ball/specialization-no off season, don't play other sports so joints get worn out

BUT
The season is longer now (fewer back-to-backs-hell, there used to be back-to-backs in the playoffs)
Travel/nutrition is much better
Guys play fewer minutes and play fewer games

[JohnnyKILLroy]

A big, big thing is that everyone simply knows better now. It used to be a badge of pride that you played in meaningless regular season games through some serious injuries. People always bring up Stockton and Malone in these kinds of threads, but as a Jazz fan, I remember countless stories of Malone being in a shooting slump for a couple of weeks, only to be told he had a broken finger that he played through.

Today, he'd simply sit. 5-6 games over the course of an 82-game season aren't that important. Why play hurt?

I'm also old enough to remember Michael Finley leading the league in minutes per game for 3 out of the 4 seasons around the turn of the century, and finishing second that 3rd season. Three of those seasons, the Mavs didn't even make the playoffs.

Think about how crazy that is for a second. Your team is 20-62 and you've got a guy playing all 82 games and leading the whole league in total minutes and minutes per game. What the hell for? What is the point?

We all just know better now.

How about because they pay you to play.

And you do it for the fans that come watch you play. And if you discredit the modern day fan than you’re past the point of doing right thing because it’s the right thing

[Lockdown504090]

Players eat too much processed foods nowadays. Makes them weaker and they don't get enough nutrients so their bodies break down.

players now have better diets than they did in the 2000s. thats an insane take

But did they eat well in their pre-NBA years or grow up on McDonalds? What one eats in the formative years is more important.

Derrick Rose was famous for living on candy early in his life/career. Despite being a supreme athlete with a strong-appearing build his body was apparently built from glass. I bet guys like Stockton and Malone didn’t grow up on candy and happy meals before they joined the NBA.

cherry picked example. Todays players are mostly coming from well to do families and are on suppliments that older generations did not have. My kids aau team had a nutrition consultant and thats common now. we have our own massage therapist. Like do any of you have kids who are playing now? its easily apparent how much more these kids have access to now than 20 years ago. we spend like 10x on youth ball compared to what we paid when we were that age, and my kids defintely arent as gifted as i was at that age.

[prolific passer]

Robert Parish averaged 77 games a season for 21 straight years and AC Green is considered the NBAs Ironman having the longest streak of 82 game seasons ever.

The money is guaranteed now and front offices don't want to risk their top players getting hurt early to mid point in the season so they rest them time to time up until the stretch run near the end of the season hoping they get hot going into the playoffs

[sashaturiaf]

Previous generation generally had some pride in their occupation, their craft so to speak.

New entitled narcissistic generation are all more than athletes, they're leading activists against exploitation of professional basketball players.

"You force me to play back to back games while flying private, how dare you!"

[Nuntius]

I mean, it's basically everything everyone's said

First, we just know more about the human body, you see Haliburton tearing his Achilles from playing through a calf strain, that's why guys don't play through minor injuries in the regular season anymore

You also have the increased pace, like in 2014 (earliest data nba.com has), the Spurs ran the most of any team at 17.77 miles per game, that'd be 4th least today, which isn't just pace but the way defense is played, like go back and watch some games from 20 years ago, watch off ball defense, they're all just kinda standing around, where today there's constant movement, you need to guard all 5 players at all times now

Then something else is the amount of wear and tear they have growing up, like I assume back in the day you just played in high school, then college, then NBA, but now you have AAU pushing kids to their limits, which also has adverse effects on learning kids how to play the game

Guys might not play every game and play less minutes, but careers are lasting longer because of it.

This is the correct answer.

[LaSheed]

I miss the days where you could put Ben Wallace next to Elden Campbell.

[DOT]

I mean, it's basically everything everyone's said

First, we just know more about the human body, you see Haliburton tearing his Achilles from playing through a calf strain, that's why guys don't play through minor injuries in the regular season anymore

You also have the increased pace, like in 2014 (earliest data nba.com has), the Spurs ran the most of any team at 17.77 miles per game, that'd be 4th least today, which isn't just pace but the way defense is played, like go back and watch some games from 20 years ago, watch off ball defense, they're all just kinda standing around, where today there's constant movement, you need to guard all 5 players at all times now

Then something else is the amount of wear and tear they have growing up, like I assume back in the day you just played in high school, then college, then NBA, but now you have AAU pushing kids to their limits, which also has adverse effects on learning kids how to play the game

Guys might not play every game and play less minutes, but careers are lasting longer because of it.

This is the correct answer.

I mean, I'm starting to think it might just be the "kids today are too soft and entitled, back in my day we were REAL men" thing, because all my answer has behind it is facts and science, all their answer has behind it is feelings and nostalgia

I could 100% find people in the 90s talking about how soft the league was and how tough it was back in their day. Dudes have been saying that **** forever. Actually, hell, I can go back even further. Chick Reiser was complaining in 1956 that jump shots had ruined the game because it made things too easy.

[Nate505]

Perhaps they should modify the game so it's not totally advantageous to be moving horizontally all the time. Perhaps by moving the 3 point line back. As a bonus, there would be 40+ 3s shot a game either.

[Lalouie]

Not one guy in the top-15 MVP voting for all NBA teams missed more than 9 games in 2011.
.

.

we're breeding soft athletes today

but whatever the case, the gaze seems to be in the wrong direction. they're fixed on the medical issue

the real culprit might be the rules. the negative move, for instance, might be a result of the 3. i mean every negative move i see is off the 3pt fake. so when players make this negative move, their next step is to explode past their man and drive 25' to the basket - that's a 25' runway to accelerate

players back then and before played with rules that gave them less options to explore their athleticism. if the game is played in a more confined space players will adapt with lesser athletic moves

smaller space = smaller moves

[Nuntius]

I mean, it's basically everything everyone's said

First, we just know more about the human body, you see Haliburton tearing his Achilles from playing through a calf strain, that's why guys don't play through minor injuries in the regular season anymore

You also have the increased pace, like in 2014 (earliest data nba.com has), the Spurs ran the most of any team at 17.77 miles per game, that'd be 4th least today, which isn't just pace but the way defense is played, like go back and watch some games from 20 years ago, watch off ball defense, they're all just kinda standing around, where today there's constant movement, you need to guard all 5 players at all times now

Then something else is the amount of wear and tear they have growing up, like I assume back in the day you just played in high school, then college, then NBA, but now you have AAU pushing kids to their limits, which also has adverse effects on learning kids how to play the game

Guys might not play every game and play less minutes, but careers are lasting longer because of it.

This is the correct answer.

I mean, I'm starting to think it might just be the "kids today are too soft and entitled, back in my day we were REAL men" thing, because all my answer has behind it is facts and science, all their answer has behind it is feelings and nostalgia

I could 100% find people in the 90s talking about how soft the league was and how tough it was back in their day. Dudes have been saying that **** forever. Actually, hell, I can go back even further. Chick Reiser was complaining in 1956 that jump shots had ruined the game because it made things too easy.

Yep. I mean, that's what sports commentary is a lot of the time. It's just dudes saying how much better stuff was when they were younger or when they themselves played and that's usually motivated either by ego or by nostalgia.

[ANTETOKOUNBROS]

Pace

[NUMBERICA]

The game is orders of magnitude more active than it used to be. Watch some old film, it's a whole lot of people standing around.