Steve Kerr ‘very concerned’ about NBA’s dramatic change in pace, frequency of play leading to more injuries

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers confirmed Tuesday that nine-time All-Star Giannis Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out “probably two weeks” with a groin strain. The San Antonio Spurs announced Monday that 21-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama is dealing with a left calf strain that reportedly will sideline him for “a few weeks.”

The Dallas Mavericks are patiently waiting for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to return from a left calf strain of his own.

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Soft-tissues injuries are running rampant less than a month into the regular season, and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked Tuesday if he’s concerned about their increase across the league — specifically, in connection with the uptick in the NBA’s pace of play.

“The pace difference is dramatic. This team tonight (the Magic) has really upped their pace compared to last year. I think across the league, everybody understands now that it’s just easier to score If you can beat the opponent down the floor, get out in transition. But when everybody’s doing that, the games are much higher paced, faster paced, and then everyone has to cover out to 25 feet cause everybody can shoot 3s.

“So we have all the data. Players are running faster and further than ever before, and so we’re trying to do the best we can to protect them, but [we] basically have a game every other night, and it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Kerr alluded to the data. The NBA is playing at its fastest average collective pace since the 1988-89 season, per Slater, who cited ESPN Research.

Kerr, who has coached the Warriors to four titles and currently has three players at least 35 years old leading his 2025-26 team, said Golden State’s medical staff believes wear and tear and mileage as well as speed and pace are all factoring into these injuries.

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Tuesday marked the beginning of another back-to-back for the Warriors. They’ll play their 17th game in 30 days Wednesday when they take on the Heat in Miami.

That span dates back to opening night on Oct. 21, and it includes 12 games away from the Chase Center.

Never afraid to voice his opinion about on- and off-court issues,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/steve-kerr-very-concerned-about-nbas-dramatic-change-in-pace-frequency-of-play-leading-to-more-injuries-013354015.html

Author : Andy Backstrom

Publish date : 2025-11-19 01:33:00

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