As NBA Distance Increases, So Do Injuries
We’ve all heard the stories. Back in the day, NBA players were built different—tough as nails, mentally unshakable, playing through injuries that would sideline most of us for months. Larry Bird dropping a triple-double with a barely functioning back. Kobe Bryant sinking free throws on a torn Achilles. Allen Iverson hitting the floor more than the basketball and still coming back for more. These guys weren’t just hoopers; they were warriors, grinding through 82 games with ice packs, tape, and sheer willpower.
Fast forward to today, and the old heads aren’t impressed. They see stars sitting out back-to-backs, hear the term "load management" every other night, and shake their heads in disappointment. “The game’s gone soft,” they say. “These guys wouldn’t last a week in our era.” Every new injury fuels the narrative: players today are weaker, less durable, not built for the grind.
But is that really true? Or is there something else at play—something beyond just "toughness"—that’s leading to this rise in injuries? Let’s break it down.
The graph above showcases the average miles per minute over the last decade. Just even a slight look at it reveals a clear and consistent upward trend in the physical demands placed on NBA players. Year after year, the miles per minute have steadily increased, reflecting the modern era’s emphasis on fast-paced, high-intensity play, with teams pushing to outpace one another up and down the floor. The only noticeable dip in this trajectory coincides with the COVID-19-impacted seasons, where the disruptions in the timing of the season, shortened offseasons, and other factors created an anomaly that cannot be fully accounted for in a typical year.
Even small changes, like an increase of 3.8 feet per minute, may seem negligible at first glance. However, for a player who plays 70 games at an average of 35 minutes per game, this seemingly minor adjustment adds up, resulting in nearly two extra miles covered throughout the season. Such shifts, though subtle, significantly impact the overall physical toll on players and reflect the growing strain of a game that continues to demand more.
The challenge with using tracking data like feet per minute is that it only dates back to the 2013–14 season—before that, the technology simply wasn’t in place to capture such detailed movement. To extend the timeline and gain more historical context, the next best proxy is pace, or possessions per game. While not a perfect substitute, pace offers a valuable lens: the faster a team plays, the more possessions there are, and logically, the more ground players are likely to cover. I expect to find a clear correlation—faster pace, more movement.
It’s no secret that many former players from the ‘90s and early 2000s love to comment on how today’s league lacks the “grit” of their era. While they reminisce about the rough-and-tumble days, it’s fascinating to look at the data: the period they’re nostalgic about happens to be the one where players were covering the least distance on average per minute, according to Feet/Min stats. In fact, the 90s and early 2000s saw the lowest figures since the 80s, proving that despite the tough exterior, the pace of play back then was nowhere near as frantic as it is today. Now, let's extrapolate this data to look at how much distance a player playing 70 games and 35 minutes each night would cover.
At the same time, let's also group this by decade to understand the drastic differences in distance covered.
Most of today’s NBA commentators and analysts spent the bulk of their playing careers in the 90s and 2000s. Back then, players, on average, covered nearly 15-20 miles less per season compared to today's athletes. To put that into perspective, 15-20 miles is almost 1/10th of the distance some of the top players cover now. That’s a huge difference—like running an entire extra marathon over the course of the season! And it’s not just about running longer distances; today’s game is faster, with more deceleration and acceleration, and constant twisting and turning. Defenders are forced to fly around the court just to keep up with the offense, which puts a massive strain on their legs. The result? The toll on a player’s body is exponentially higher now than it was back in the days of slower, more physical play.
All the talk around load management and player “softness” isn’t entirely without merit—some players and teams do abuse this policy. But for most, taking a game or two off each month is a necessary break, a chance to recharge tired legs before jumping back into action. The NBA today is faster, more dynamic, and more physically demanding than ever before. Unfortunately, some fans and analysts seem stuck in the past, more eager to criticize than to appreciate how the game has evolved. Just as players must adapt to stay at the top of their craft, maybe it’s time for some of the analysts to evolve too.
Comments
Post a Comment