The Injury Problem in the nba today

Like it or not, injuries are apart of basketball and sports in general. Time and time again we see rising stars have their careers ruined at the hands of injuries. In recent years, the injury bug is hitting harder, especially with rookies.

In the 2018 NBA draft, over 30% of rookies drafted in the first round played less than 50 games their rookie season due to injury. Every year the number of players missing their rookie season is increasing, and it’s a big problem the NBA has yet to acknowledge.

The NBA Draft is where teams get the chance to draft the next big talent, these are players who teams believe can be their franchise player. Most of, if not all, the athletes drafted have invested their entire lives into the sport. Some of these players had a basketball in their hands since they were able to walk.

Decades of working out and playing non-stop can take a huge toll on one’s health. This wear and tear can have lasting effects on the body. But, why has the problem of rookies missing so many games only begun to be an epidemic? Lately, teams are drafting the best available talent, instead of filling the team’s needs. In addition, they are throwing in NBA level diets, competition, and an 82 game schedule right out of college. Statistics show that from 1984-1988, rookies drafted in the first round (30) played an average of 77.8% of their rookie season. But from 2014-2018 all rookies drafted in the first round (30) played only an average of 57.5% of their rookie season. That’s a significant 20% drop in the amount of games played, which is way too much to be a coincidence and it showcases the problem at hand.

Whether it’s the exhaustion from a lifetime devoted to a sport, the drastic change from college to the NBA, or the pushing of their bodies to the fullest extent day in and day out, the NBA has a significant problem that has no answer…yet.

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