Mar 3, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) controls the ball while Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Nuggets Star Calls Out NBA After Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum Injuries

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated May 20, 2025 2:00 PM ET

If there were an ideal world in sports, injuries wouldn't exist, and teams would only match up fully healthy. However, that isn't the reality, and a team's season can be derailed by an injury to just one player. During the NBA Playoffs, that has been the case for a handful of teams.

Regardless of whether their presence could've changed the outcome of the series, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard, and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum all went down with season-ending injuries that kept them out of their respective playoff series. Acknowledging this, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon spoke out about how to avoid this.

“Man big respect to Jayson Tatum I hope he gets better quick. There's guys all around the league that are just like suffering fatigue based injuries because the games are so closely stacked together.”

— Aaron Gordon says the NBA should give more rest

pic.twitter.com/nioR7f5jwj
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) May 19, 2025

“Man, big respect to Jayson Tatum, I hope he gets better quick. There's guys all around the league that are just like suffering fatigue-based injuries because the games are so closely stacked together," Gordon said after Denver's Game 7 loss. "It would just be nice for one or two more rest days throughout the postseason, just so we can come back fresh and compete.”

Looking right now at the Conference Finals, teams will only get one day of rest between games, regardless of whether the series goes to seven games or not. Therefore, if a player picks up a minor injury, they could end up making it worse if they feel forced to play on it to try and win the series. While fans enjoy having basketball on every night, players like Gordon clearly aren't fans.

Aaron Gordon cited Steph Curry's injury as one example why the NBA should tweak its playoff schedulinghttps://t.co/jA8SX1u4ZO
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 19, 2025

Even though players like Gordon, Curry, Lillard, and Tatum were eliminated, they'll at least have the ability to take their time in recovery, in comparison to other players who are still playing that might be dealing with a nagging injury.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: