Load Management.

There’s been an ongoing conversation about whether the 82-game season is behind the spike in NBA injuries lately — and for good reason.

In recent seasons, we’ve seen an astronomical rise in season-ending — and in some cases, near career-ending — injuries.
Data shows a 35% increase in injuries across the league, making player availability one of the most pressing concerns in the modern NBA.

This season alone, we watched The Process, Joel Embiid, go down in the City of Brotherly Love with a knee injury, playing in just 19 games all year.. his co-star PG-13, Paul George only played 41 games this season after suffering from adductor and knee issues.


The Anomaly, Jayson Tatum, ruptured his right Achilles in Game 4 of the second round against the Novas and their newly adopted KAT — and things only got worse from there. The Luck of the Irish finally ran out as the Celtics fell to the Knicks in six.

Uncle Drew, Kyrie Irving, tore his left ACL shortly after the All-Star break. His teammate, The Brow, Anthony Davis, suffered an adductor strain that sidelined him for a large portion of the season — though many would say that’s nothing new.

Dame Time, Damian Lillard, also tore his Achilles — in the first round of the playoffs against dual-threat star Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. Many believe the injury stemmed from his surprisingly speedy return after a DVT diagnosis that kept him out for nearly a month pre-postseason.
The Alien from France, Victor Wembanyama, similarly dealt with DVT-related issues and missed nearly half the season.

And that’s just the stars.

We haven’t even mentioned Moritz Wagner (brother of Magic star Franz Wagner), Grant “Imma Make ‘Em Both” Williams of the Hornets, De’Anthony Melton of the Warriors, or Dejounte Murray of the Pelicans — all of whom also suffered season-ending setbacks.

Then there’s Golden State’s assassin, future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry, who strained his left hamstring in the second round vs. Minnesota. He missed most of Game 1 and didn’t suit up for Games 2 through 5. The Timberwolves eliminated the Warriors in five.

Meanwhile, the Thunder swept Memphis as their wild Grizzly, Ja Morant, missed chunks of Game 3 and all of Game 4 with a hip contusion.

So the question remains.. is the long, grueling 82-game schedule, filled with back to backs and traveling to other cities the reason behind this?

Tonight’s Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder is already shaping up to be a must-watch — made even more tense by the absence of Nuggets star Aaron Gordon, who’s out with a Game 2 hamstring strain and could miss several weeks if Denver advances.

This season has had it all — arguably the wildest midseason trade in NBA history, controversy, chaos…
And through it all, injuries have shaped the path of nearly every contender.

What’s next?

Find out… on the NBA.

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