Is NBA training camp to blame for excessive injuries?

Injuries significantly marred the 2025 NBA playoffs, as Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton suffered Achilles tears, and Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Ja Morant missed games with injuries. 

Even the Golden State Warriors' chances of making a title run ended when Stephen Curry tore his hamstring in Game 1 of the second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and never returned.

Mind you, the regular season was equally affected by injuries, as Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler III and Kyrie Irving failed to meet the 65-game threshold to qualify for All-NBA honors. 

So, is it fair to blame the wear-and-tear of an excruciating 82-game season on the injuries? Or is there another reason?

Gilbert Arenas blames NBA training camp 

Former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has blamed the NBA's training camp, which usually lasts three weeks leading into the regular season, for the injuries affecting the league.

On "The Gilbert Arenas Show," the retired player noted that training camps were significantly shorter during his playing days, but players were already in shape from playing in the offseason.

"That's why them [expletives] get hurt so much," Arenas said, via Basketball Network. "I'm a just be honest with you. Just from my experience, we're talking about early 2000s. When we talk about conditioning, September 1st, got into the city, we played pick up and conditioned for that month, just to get ready for training camp, right? And then, training camp, two-a-days. We was still losing our legs, it really took a month to get in basketball shape."

Why are players not in basketball shape?

Arenas added that players who arrive at training camp without any offseason basketball are more prone to getting injured.

"The fact that they don't even condition like that at the beginning of training camp, you can see why they pullin' hamstrings and pullin' these little muscles, it's because their bodies are not really in shape yet. So, when they go out there and tryna go a hunnid, they not ready for it."

The 2025-26 NBA season kicks off on Oct. 21, exactly three weeks after training camp got underway. While many European players participated in EuroBasket 2025, their American counterparts did not play competitive basketball over the summer, save for a few exhibition and Pro-Am tournaments.