In the last three seasons, the great stars of the NBA, as indicated by their All Star status, they have never played more than 80 games. On average, the benchmarks of the competition 28 regular season games were lost last year, and five of them went blank for different reasons, although the main one is injuries. Zion Williamson explains the most logical part of the problem, but the cases of Ben Simmons y Kyrie Irvingalso of the John Walladd other variables to the problem.
The last two MVPs are the best performers among the elite of the elite, but still do not reach the regularity and presence of yesteryear. Giannis Antetokounmpo played 67 games, while Nikola Jokic he reached 74 and in the playoffs he seemed to arrive exhausted. Has the rhythm of the game changed? Do the teams try to control the fatigue of their stars? There are several theories but few conclusions definitive despite the interesting study proposed by True Hoop, reference payment method specialized in the NBA.
Among the most interesting notes of the study by journalist Henry Abbot are the figures for games accumulated by those who are probably the most media stars in the league in the last three seasons: Kevin Durant (0, 35 y 55), LeBron James (67, 45 and 56) and Stephen Curry (5, 63 and 64). According to Basketball-Referenceanother leading portal for statistical consultation, these were the only players who completed the full 82 games last year: Deni Avdija, Saddiq Bey, Michal Bridges, Kevon Looney and Dwight Powell. Not one star, and only four of them accumulated minutes typical of a starting player.
Even players who have boasted a culture of effort and top-level work, including Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, LeBron James y Russell Westbrookhave become accustomed to missing many games due to effort control and injuries:
• Butler he has not played more than 58 games in any of the last four years.
• Since being drafted eight years ago, Embiid he has never played more than 70 games in any season and has missed almost four seasons racking up all of his absences.
• Westbrookwho between 2008 and 2013 did not miss a game (439 in a row), has played 57, 65 and 78 in the last three seasons
• LeBronalways a paradigm of physical play and tireless work, has had to learn to put the brakes on and has played 67, 45 and 56 games in the last three years.
Among the reasons given to explain this notable reduction in matches between the stars, the main theory points to the hard physical load that represents the NBA today, a much more dynamic and fast game compared to previous decades. One exception to this kind of outsize fitness, which you see in practically every player in the league, is Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP. The Serbian star’s game seems more like it’s from the 90s, as he can afford not to run as much or jump too much thanks to his enormous talent for reading what’s happening on the court. Since his NBA debut, Jokic has played always more than 72 games per season and he is the star who has missed the fewest games among the All Stars in recent campaigns.
Despite this, this figure noticeably less than 82 games of yesteryear for many referents indicates another trend in the league. Teams understand the fragility of their players’ bodies and begin to apply load control strategies. Notable cases of Jimmy Butler, able to lead the Miami Heat to the 2020 Finals having played half of the games in the regular season or Kawhi Leonard, who did the same in the Toronto Raptors ring season. A third trend that explains the absence of stars is transfer demands such as those of Kevin Durantnon-sporting problems such as those of Kyrie Irving and mental conflicts such as Ben Simmons. Another case to consider is that of John Wallan All Star sitting on the bench the entire past season for the Houston Rockets to preserve his physique and market value, a tactic with dubious results.
A pending discussion for years in the NBA is the schedule reduction to reduce physical stress on players, but each game less would result in less box office, television and sponsorship revenue for the competition, and that balance is not easy for the league to maintain.
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