ORLANDO, Fla. – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed his concern about the increase in soft tissue injuries in the NBA, attributing it to the fast pace of play and the compressed 82-game schedule.In recent days, several significant injuries have been reported in the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a groin strain, while Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs has a left calf strain and Stephon Castle, also of the Spurs, has a hip flexor injury.Other absences are added to these players due to calf problems, including Anthony Davis, Ty Jerome, Dylan Harper, Ja Morant, and Jrue Holiday.The Warriors’ medical staff believes that wear and tear, speed, pace, and mileage are influencing these injuries.According to data, the NBA is playing at its fastest collective pace since the 1988-89 season. Players have covered an average of 34.3 miles per game this season, at an average speed of 4.43 mph, the highest distance and speed since player tracking began in the 2013-14 season.
Kerr has been a staunch advocate of shortening the NBA schedule from 82 games to 72 or less, believing that a little more rest and practice time over several months would be beneficial.In the whole league, everyone understands that it’s easier to score if you outrun your opponent on the court, going 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 and Miami to close out a six-game road trip. After the game in Miami, they will have played 17 games in 29 days in 12 cities, a league record.Kerr expressed skepticism about the possibility of the league reducing the schedule due to 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, but there’s also 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 took a day off and had a couple of good practices.
Steve Kerr
