"I believe that we have failed these players" - Mark Jackson explains why he believes there's been an uptick in injuries across the NBA

mark-jackson

Injuries are an inherent part of sports. When athletes push their bodies as hard as they can, they are bound to pick up some bumps and bruises, especially in the world of professional sports, where these athletes spend months at a time playing to the max of their capabilities.

However, in the NBA, in particular, injuries seem to have become increasingly common, which isn’t exactly great news for the players, fans, or the game itself. And if you ask Mark Jackson, there’s one big reason why injuries are increasing across the league.

Mark's eye-opening thoughts on injuries in the NBA

Jackson played 17 years in the NBA, and he rarely missed games unless he absolutely had to. 'Action' played in all 82 contests during nine of his 17 seasons, including one year where he played in 83 games after he was traded midway through the campaign.

Nowadays, seeing guys play in all 82 games is a rarity, due in large part to injuries. While the NBA and its teams do their best to protect their players, Jackson thinks the overprotection of guys by not having them practice as much as they used to is leading to all this time off the court.

“I believe that the reason why we seeing so many injuries is because of the different time,” Mark said on The Mark Jackson Show. “I talked about winning the Rookie of the Year trophy and then going to play in the park the next day at 3:30 in the afternoon with regular dudes. Today, they would say, ‘No, don’t do that. You’re damaging your legs, or you’re risking injury, or you wanna take care of your body.’”

“Today, you need to tell me you have a masseuse, you have chefs, you don’t practice, you have private planes, you have the finest hotels, you have your individual workout now. Everything you can imagine, they spend millions and millions of dollars,” Jackson continued.

“I believe that we have failed these players, not by giving them all these things, but by not putting a demand on the work. The way you get better is by working, the way you get better is by practicing. You don’t have to practice like we practiced. We did all of that without all those things and practiced for two-and-a-half, three hours every day, and I mean getting after it. That was foolish, that made no sense. But, to the same extent, not practicing makes no sense. Let’s put our work in, individually and collectively, let’s take care of our bodies,” 'Action' concluded.

Does Jackson’s NBA injury stance make sense?

This is an interesting take from Mark because he seems to think the precautions taken for these players are backfiring. While teams are trying to keep their players as healthy as possible, they may be inadvertently making them more liable to injuries.

As Jackson notes, teams go out of their way to make their players’ lives as easy as possible. They proverbially put their guys in bubble wrap, limiting any possible way they could suffer an injury or wear down their bodies unnecessarily.

It’s a stark contrast from what players did during Mark's time in the league. He was always playing basketball whenever he could, whether it was in games, practice, or going down to his local park and playing pick-up games with random people.

While the intent is good, Jackson believes that the lack of work these players are doing is causing their bodies to respond poorly when they go full throttle in live-game action. Mark’s perspective is unique, and who knows, maybe he could be onto something here.

OTHER NEWS

19 minutes ago

Australians ‘choosing between heating and eating’ this winter

19 minutes ago

Mortgage portability: A solution to the housing market's 'lock-in effect'?

19 minutes ago

‘Doors open to everybody else’ if Senator Payman ‘allowed to slip through’

19 minutes ago

‘Creation is Not a Democracy’: Why Panerai’s Design Philosophy is Staunchly Unapologetic

19 minutes ago

'Winning again feels special' says Hatton after seizing maiden LIV Golf title in Nashville

19 minutes ago

Luka Modric speaks out on retirement as Croatia near Euro 2024 exit

19 minutes ago

Mums tackling childcare waiting list stress gather their own data to put solutions on the table

19 minutes ago

Volkswagen And Rivian Are Teaming Up On Software In $5 Billion Deal

19 minutes ago

Furyk and Weir set to square off in biennial 2024 President’s Cup in Canada

19 minutes ago

Judge Cannon is skeptical that evidence from Mar-a-Lago should be thrown out

19 minutes ago

Arkansas AG sues Temu over alleged ‘deceptive tactics’ harming consumers: 'Data theft business'

20 minutes ago

Game 7 Of Stanley Cup Final Posts Historic TV Numbers As Florida Panthers Edge Connor McDavid’s Oilers For First NHL Title

21 minutes ago

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pleads guilty

21 minutes ago

Video: Gary Neville slams 'BASIC' England and admits bore draw with Slovenia was a 'struggle to watch' - as he names the one player 'certain' to start in the last-16

21 minutes ago

Freeland says Canada is looking at surtax on Chinese EVs

22 minutes ago

Julian Assange: The enigmatic WikiLeaks founder who divides opinion

22 minutes ago

Vikings Links: Could the Vikings sit JJ McCarthy for more than one season?

22 minutes ago

Chris Bowen lashes Coalition’s ‘half-baked yellow cake’ nuclear plan

22 minutes ago

Labor’s renewable plan ‘so well behind schedule’: Sussan Ley

22 minutes ago

Chiefs News: Kansas City to Partner With Hallmark on Original Romance Movie

22 minutes ago

'I Want To Be Ready!' Jets' McDonald Preparing for Breakout

22 minutes ago

All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson explains controversial selection calls

22 minutes ago

Does Commanders 'Aggressive' Offseason Mean They Rank With Texans?

22 minutes ago

Dr Doireann O'Leary on the triggers that cause acne in women way past their teens

22 minutes ago

Jets' Tyron Smith To Have Plenty of Vet Days

22 minutes ago

The New VW Golf R Wagon Is All the Car You Need but Can't Have

22 minutes ago

What to expect from Deion Sanders' Colorado this season

24 minutes ago

21 million Miniverse toy sets recalled after reports of burns and respiratory irritation

28 minutes ago

Pentagon chief speaks with Russian defense minister

28 minutes ago

Boots shoppers praise £5 moisturiser that's recommended by dermatologists and 'saves' skin

28 minutes ago

An offseason checklist for the Edmonton Oilers

28 minutes ago

Julian Assange’s eye-watering bill to fly free

29 minutes ago

Deschamps admits ‘we deserve to be second’ but expects France to click

29 minutes ago

‘Wholly unsuitable’ outdoor dining area removed following shock closure of Wexford pub

29 minutes ago

How do you spot an innovation stock?

29 minutes ago

Maguire lauds Latrell impact on Blues' Origin focus

29 minutes ago

Championship revenue exceeds wages - Deloitte report

29 minutes ago

Heartache for Dutch golfers denied Olympics by their own country: 'We don't think you're worthy'

29 minutes ago

MCG specialist addresses Maroons

29 minutes ago

4,000 missiles, 72-hour outages: Northern Israeli mayor warns of 'blackout scenario'