The conclusion to the 2024-25 National Basketball Association (NBA) season left fans and players with an unsettling feeling. Three NBA franchise players tore their Achilles tendons during the playoff series, including Boston’s very own Jayson Tatum. Additionally, numerous other NBA players suffered season-ending injuries during the latter months of the season. These upsetting occurrences beg the question: What has caused this increased number of NBA stars to get injured towards the end of the season?
An explanation for this enigma is the recently implemented 65-Game Rule made by the NBA regarding how many games a player is permitted to miss. This rule, implemented in 2023, states that players are required to play in 65 out of the 82 regular-season games in order to be considered eligible for awards like MVP and All-NBA teams. To prevent players from appearing briefly in a game to have it count towards their 65 appearances, the rule also mandated that players must be on the court for at least 20 minutes in order for the game to count towards their eligibility.
The implementation of this rule was a huge deal to players, as they are now restricted in the amount of time they have to rest. The aftermath arrived only a year after the 65-game rule was passed. The rule contributes to players overusing their muscles throughout the duration of the season without proper time for rest and recovery. The accumulation of stress on their body due to overtraining must be accompanied by rest days, which were taken away with the 65-game rule. The primary issue with this rule is that players might force themselves to play through a minor injury to meet the minimum game requirement, which increases the probability of severe injuries.
As mentioned earlier, injuries played a crucial role in this year’s NBA Playoff outcomes. The NBA Playoffs are a four-round, bracket-style series of games that determine the season’s NBA Champions. At the conclusion of the regular season, teams are seeded based on their records from 1-8, determining who they will play in the first round. Divided into Eastern and Western Conferences, the top teams of each conference face off in best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win 4 games moves on to the next round.
This year, in the first round of the playoffs, a key contributor for the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard, tore his left Achilles tendon. Shortly after, Celtics’ star player Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles in round two, leaving the Boston team and fanbase devastated. The Indiana Pacers, seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference, made an unexpected run, making it all the way to the finals. In Game 7, the final game of the series, Pacers’ franchise star Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in an attempt to drive to the basket. The Oklahoma City Thunder won, leaving the arena crowned as the 2025 NBA Champions.
With injuries, specifically Achilles tears, so prevalent throughout the NBA Playoffs, action must be taken in the near future to prevent these occurrences. Whether it be an extension to the number of games missed or a shorter regular season, any slight change will benefit the health of these players. I also acknowledge that NBA fans buy tickets, which are around $100 on average, to see their favorite stars, and it is frustrating when those players are sitting out. This is likely a strong motive behind why NBA executives implemented restrictions on missed games, but the 65-game rule has detrimental effects on the bodies of NBA players — which should be their first priority.