Injuries are just a natural part of sports at any level, including in the NBA. Still, having several players sidelined sends ripple effects through every team and their fan base. Thankfully, as of the latest reports, the league is attempting to change that by leveraging advancements in sports medicine. Even a stacked roster isn’t safe from being accosted by the injury bug.
NBA Has a New Venture to Solve the Growing Injury Crisis
The timing couldn’t be more urgent. The 2025–26 season has been hammered by injuries, with NBA stars already missing more than 200 games, double what we saw at this point two years ago, and season-ending blows to players like Walker Kessler and Damian Lillard, plus extended absences for stars such as LeBron James, have only amplified the crisis.
Just a few months ago, the Pacers were competing in the NBA Finals and even took the eventual champions, the OKC Thunder, to seven games. This year, despite a core that has remained mostly intact, the same Pacers squad is 2-13 due to injuries to several key contributors.
The Boston Celtics, despite having a stacked team, are currently sitting at 8-7, primarily due to the absence of Jayson Tatum. The Dallas Mavericks have yet to see their squad play at full strength with Anthony Davis missing games and Kyrie Irving still recovering from a torn ACL. The San Antonio Spurs, who will miss Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, are at risk of faltering.
High-profile stars such as Ja Morant, Joel Embiid, Zion Williamson, and Kawhi Leonard have also been missing several games, which has impacted their teams’ performance.
With ticket sales, rotations, and even playoff races taking a hit, the league’s new biomechanics program arrives as a much-needed, data-driven attempt to figure out why so many bodies are breaking down and how to prevent it.
On Wednesday’s episode of “NBA Today,” senior insider Shams Charania shared details on how the league aims to curb injuries.
“The league is launching a biomechanics assessment program,” Charania said.
He then proceeded to discuss the program’s progress. “More than 500 players have already gone through a level of testing,” he shared. “There are four rounds of biomechanic testing also needed to be done [for the] rest of the season.”
He concluded that the league will optimize the program to reduce injuries based on the results of this season’s testing.
Sports medicine has made significant advancements in helping players recover from even the most severe injuries. However, teams, fans, and the players themselves would prefer to avoid them altogether. While this latest program doesn’t promise to eliminate injuries completely, it aims to reduce their frequency and severity.
