ORLANDO, Fla. – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed his concern about the increase in injuries in the NBA, attributing it to the combination of the fast pace of play and the condensed 82-game schedule. In recent days, significant injuries have been reported in several key players. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a groin strain. Five other NBA players are also currently out with calf strains: Anthony Davis, Ty Jerome, Dylan Harper, Ja Morant, and Jrue Holiday. The Warriors’ medical staff believes that wear and tear, speed, and mileage are contributing to these injuries. According to league data, the collective game pace is the fastest since the 1988-89 season. In addition, players have covered an average of 34.3 miles per game this season, at an average speed of 4.43 mph, the longest average distance and the fastest average speed since player tracking began in 2013-14.
Kerr has been a vocal advocate for shortening the NBA schedule from 82 games to 72 or less, believing that a little more rest and practice time over several months would yield positive results.In the whole league, everyone understands that it’s easier to score if you outrun the opponent on the court, you get out in transition. But when everyone does that, the games are at a much higher pace. Everyone has to cover up to 25 feet because everyone can shoot from 3. We have all the data. Players run faster and farther than before. We are trying to do the best we can, but basically we have a game every other night. It’s not an easy thing to do.
Steve Kerr
The Warriors are already in their fifth back-to-back in the first month, playing in Orlando on Tuesday night and in Miami on Wednesday night to close out a six-game road trip. After the Miami game, they will have played a maximum of 17 games in 29 days in 12 cities. However, Kerr expressed skepticism about the league seriously considering reducing the schedule due to the financial implications.Literally, we haven’t had a single practice on this trip. Not one. We’ve been out for a week or more. Eight days, not one practice. It’s just game, game, game. So, not only is there no recovery time, there’s no practice time. What was different was that in the past, you had four [games] in five nights, which wasn’t great, but then you had four days between games. You’d take a day off and have a couple of good practices.
Steve Kerr
The tricky part is that everyone would have to agree to receive less income. In 2025 in America, good luck in any industry. Imagine a big company saying, ‘You know what, we’re not so worried about our stock price. Actually, we’re worried about employing people and giving them a stable job and improving our product.’ That’s not happening. You already know that.
Steve Kerr
