NBA pushes again on concept that the league schedule is at coronary heart of elevated gentle tissue accidents

Saturday in Las Vegas, it seems probably Victor Wembanyama will make his return to the courtroom after lacking a dozen video games as a consequence of a calf pressure. If it looks like there have been extra calf strains — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, Jrue Vacation, Isaiah Hartenstein, Ty Jerome, Ben Sheppard — it is as a result of there have been. Tom Haberstroh broke down the numbers at Yahoo Sports activities, working with Jeff Stotts of In Avenue Garments.

Within the first 20 video games of the 2025-26 season, we have seen a considerable enhance in calf accidents (excluding contusions brought on by blunt drive), in line with main damage knowledgeable Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com. This time final season, there have been 18 calf accidents on the 20-game mark. This season, it is as much as 25 incidents, representing a rise of practically 40%.

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Extra important, nevertheless, is the elongated restoration timeline of those accidents. Per Stotts’ information, the variety of video games misplaced as a consequence of calf accidents, by means of 20 video games performed, skyrocketed from 36 to 108. A tripling of final season’s whole.

A bit of greater than per week in the past, John Holinger of The Athletic (previously a part of the Memphis entrance workplace) requested whether or not the strains of the NBA Cup schedule had exacerbated the rise in soft-tissue accidents. Whereas that has been a subject mentioned in league circles, the article largely flew below the radar — till Thursday, when the NBA launched a prolonged assertion pushing again on the premise of Hollinger’s article, with NBA spokesman Mike Bass’ title connected.

“John Hollinger’s premise that the NBA Cup has led to a denser schedule leading to extra participant accidents is solely not supported by the info. Hollinger wonders if ‘the league turned the early-season journey dial slightly too excessive’ and posits that groups are going through ‘an unnaturally heavy schedule cycle.’ The truth is the NBA performed roughly the identical variety of video games by means of 42 days this season (308) as final season (307).

“Additional, these numbers are in keeping with pre-Cup years (308 video games in 2022 and 313 video games in 2021). The Cup has objectively not led to a denser league-wide schedule within the early a part of the season.

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“Hollinger moreover claims the NBA is seeing an ‘uptick in early-season soft-tissue accidents’ and that ‘the league retains getting worse at retaining these stars wholesome.’ By means of the season’s first six weeks, the variety of accidents forcing star gamers to overlook video games is the bottom previously six seasons, down greater than 25 p.c year-over-year. Whereas a number of star gamers haven’t performed this season as a consequence of accidents sustained final season, the suggestion that any enhance in video games missed this season is expounded to the schedule’s first six weeks is patently deceptive.”

Hollinger’s response summed up the overall response to the NBA’s assertion: Why did the league launch this within the first place?

The NBA’s level that accidents to stars from final season — particularly, Achilles accidents to Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton — are a part of the quantity downside is appropriate. Nonetheless, the league assertion doesn’t tackle the details famous in the beginning of this piece, that calf accidents — and soft-tissue accidents basically — are up. And due to what everybody noticed with Tatum and Haliburton, groups are much more cautious about bringing again gamers from calf and different accidents.

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Accidents are at all times a part of the NBA season. Now, as a consequence of improved science and groups being risk-averse contemplating the nine-figure investments of their greatest stars, groups are prepared to maintain gamers out longer and ensure they’re absolutely healed earlier than a participant returns. It is what’s finest for the gamers and the groups, but it surely means seeing much less of some stars.