The NBA is only a month into the season, yet the league is already dealing with one of the most alarming injury stretches in recent memory. From Victor Wembanyama to Joel Embiid to Anthony Edwards, and from Trae Young to Zion Williamson to Giannis Antetokounmpo, many of the NBA’s biggest stars have gone down early.
According to The Athletic, frustration is growing in front offices across the league as teams search for answers. One general manager pushed back on the idea that players are breaking down due to workload and instead argued that the problem stems from a lack of proper conditioning.
“I personally don’t believe it is because we are running too much. I believe it is because these guys don’t run enough,” the GM said. “We haven’t had any soft tissue injuries and our loads aren’t exceeding past numbers like other teams might be experiencing.”
Another executive added more context to the theory, pointing out that many players spend their offseasons working almost exclusively on shooting and ball-handling. He questioned whether modern training prepares players for the physical demands of today’s game, especially the constant defensive movement.
Arguably the greatest example is Victor Wembanyama. After missing 36 games last season, the star big man is sitting again with a calf strain, and concern has been rising about his spotty durability.
As it turns out, very few players spend their offseason practicing defensive slides or hard closeouts, and the lack of repetition may leave them unprepared for the stop-and-start intensity of NBA competition. At just 21 years old, many experts suspect more than bad luck could be at play with Wembanyama.
Whatever the culprit, injuries have been one of the biggest stories of the league this season. The list of stars currently out is extensive and includes several long-term absences such as Jayson Tatum (Achilles), Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Damian Lillard (Achilles), Kyrie Irving (ACL), and Fred VanVleet (ACL).
While Steve Kerr says the players are being overworked, it may actually be the opposite problem. With players prioritizing shooting drills and other practice methods, conditioning training has become a forgotten step in the process, and we are seeing the results play out before our very eyes.
The good news is recovery times are faster than ever, and players in general are healing much better than they used to. Today, sports medicine has advanced far enough that players like Kevin Durant are able to play up to superstar standards after suffering what used to be career-ending injuries.
While it is a natural and unavoidable part of the game, the NBA has always sought to lower the frequency of injuries. Now they know the key may rest in how modern players and teams prepare for the grind of an 82-game season.
If the league hopes to avoid another season defined by injuries, teams and players alike will need to reassess how they prepare for the demands of the modern NBA. Adjustments will not happen overnight, but the urgency has never been clearer. With so many stars sidelined already, the focus now shifts to prevention, sustainability, and whether the league’s best can stay on the floor long enough to shape the season’s outcome.
