The NBA has entered the Injury Era

You never really know who is playing in today’s NBA. That is the story of this era. Not pace. Not space. Not the three-point revolution.

Injuries. Real ones. Soft tissue ones. Mysterious ones. Day-to-day for two weeks ones. And teams holding players out for what one scout once called “hangnails.”

This is the injury era. It has defined the league more than anything else.

Resting players plays a part. Gregg Popovich started it more than a decade ago as a protest to the schedule — and the league even slapped him with a $250,000 fine after he sat four starters for a nationally televised road game.

Front offices decided rest was smart. Analytics backed it up. Now it is everywhere.

But the bigger question is why so many players are hurt in the first place.

A lot of coaches and scouts quietly blame the modern style of play. The constant closing out to shooters. The sprinting back to protect the rim. The nonstop movement created by five-out spacing.

The three-point shot has turned the sport into something beautiful and chaotic at the same time. And soft tissue injuries have followed.

Others point to preparation. Players today work out more than ever. Morning shootaround. Afternoon lifts. Pre-game shooting. Guys training so hard that they need showers before hitting the layup line.

When Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the more medical people you hire, the more injuries you get, he was only half-joking.

It also starts before the NBA. Kids now play year-round. AAU. Trainers. Skills coaches. Endless games and tournaments. By the time they reach 21, they already have thousands of hard miles on their legs.

The result is a league where stars rarely play 75 games and many can’t make it through a playoff run. Resting them is not fixing the problem. It is not even close.

Adam Silver needs answers. Fans deserve them. The NBA is built on star power and too many stars are stuck in street clothes.

It is time for the league to figure out why. It has to be priority No. 1. Otherwise, the product might become too painful to watch.