The National Basketball Association (NBA) had already initiated an investigation into Achilles tendon injuries through a consultation with a panel of experts prior to Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton’s unfortunate incident in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. This was disclosed by Commissioner Adam Silver during a broadcast on Wednesday night. The prior accumulation of Achilles injuries this season had amounted to seven, including notable athletes such as James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson from the Pacers, New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray, Miami’s Dru Smith during the regular season, as well as playoff injuries involving Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard, and the notable injury to Haliburton.
Commissioner Silver, in conversation with ESPN during its NBA draft broadcast, highlighted that the league witnessed no Achilles injuries in the previous season. He elaborated, stating, “We had already convened a panel of experts before Tyrese’s most recent Achilles rupture. We had seven this year. We had zero last year under the exact same circumstances. The most we’ve ever had in a season is four.” The sudden spike in these injuries has triggered an old but persistent question: Is the NBA season overly extended? Silver, however, does not attribute the season’s length to the increase in injuries. Instead, he suggests that offseason training regimens might be intensifying the stress on players’ bodies.
Reflecting on statistics from the past decade, Silver mentioned, “When we look back at the last 10 years, the majority of the Achilles injuries have happened before the All-Star break,” indicating that the number of games alone may not be the culprit. He added insight on the rigorous offseason schedules modern players undertake, sometimes intensifying their workload beyond the regular season pace of three games per week.
Haliburton’s injury occurred in the early stages of Game 7, a critical match that resulted in Indiana losing to Oklahoma City. Following the game, Haliburton, post-surgery, expressed no regrets about his decision to play through a calf strain, despite speculations that the strain might have contributed to his Achilles injury.
In their quest to unravel the puzzle behind the frequent Achilles injuries this season, the league is incorporating artificial intelligence. Silver remarked on the potential for A.I. to provide insight, stating, “I’m hopeful that by looking at more data, by looking at patterns, this is one area where A.I. — people are talking about how that’s going to transform so many areas — the ability with A.I. to ingest all video of every game a player’s played in to see if you can detect some pattern that we didn’t realize that leads to an Achilles injury.” The proactive approach underscores the league’s commitment to addressing the issue.