MILWAUKEE -- Kevin Durant sat in the corner of the small visitor's locker room at Fiserv Forum and rested his chin on his hand as he contemplated the question everyone around the NBA has been asking after a cataclysmic opening week. I wish I knew the science behind why all of these injuries are happening," Durant said. Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 Finals, and knows firsthand the toll that the modern NBA takes on players' bodies.
Never has the issue felt as pressing as the past week, as star after star went down with injuries ranging from broken legs to hamstring strains. "Some people say the game is so fast, some people say more possessions, some people say 82 games," Durant said, listing some of the theories that have become prevalent. "It's unfortunate to have so many great players out with injuries, but I can't put my hand on it, to be honest bro.
I wish I knew but I don't know exactly what the reason is. Just hoping all these guys get back healthy." Here's a quick rundown of some of the most notable injuries that have happened in this first week: And that doesn't account for preseason injuries, including Ben Simmons tearing his Achilles tendon or Kon Knueppel straining his hamstring. Simmons is out for the season, and Knueppel hasn't played yet.
The rash of injuries, which Rockets coach Ime Udoka called "unprecedented" this early in the season, has already derailed multiple teams' seasons and had a major impact on the title race and major award eligibility. Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports. There's nothing anyone can do about Williams getting his leg trapped under his body on a bad fall, or Suggs falling onto Banchero's ankle.
But the abundance of soft-tissue injuries is a major concern across the league. "It sucks to see this many people going out for this amount of time early in the season," Udoka said. As Durant noted, there's no shortage of ideas about what's causing the injury crisis.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has long been the leading voice on the 82-game season being too long. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has repeatedly talked about how much faster the game is now. Udoka and Milwaukee Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins both wondered about the effect of shortening training camp and playing fewer preseason games.
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