Longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti laid out a trainer’s-eye view of why modern NBA players get hurt more often in a recent Byron Scott Fast Break clip. Vitti traced the problem to year-round play, repetitive movement and shifting training culture rather than a single cause.
“One of the things we hear a lot is too many games, too much basketball at a young age and that is absolutely true,” Vitti said, explaining how early specialization creates wear patterns. He added that “repetitive movement causes compensation and the compensation causes dysfunction,” a chain reaction that sets up future injury.
Vitti emphasized the role of the core and pelvic mechanics in the kinetic chain that transfers force from the legs to the upper body. “The game is played between here and here. What we call the core,” he said, arguing that weak or fatigued core endurance leads to failures elsewhere.
He broke down how tight hip flexors rotate the pelvis, overloading hamstrings and shutting off glute activation, which in turn stresses ankles, Achilles tendons and knees. “If you hit a link in the chain that can’t handle the load, that’s where it’s going to fail,” Vitti warned.
Modern athletes are bigger, faster and stronger, yet Vitti asked whether movement efficiency has kept pace with raw power. “The body doesn’t like slowing down and turning torque,” he said, noting that injuries often happen during deceleration and cutting rather than straight-line sprinting.
Vitti pointed to the loss of multisport youth development as a factor, comparing past generations who cross-trained to today’s kids who repeat the same motions year-round. “That’s playing so much that you’ve developed these postural and movement dysfunctional patterns,” he said, which become hard to fully undo.
He also stressed recovery and routine: consistent core endurance and movement work are what sustain players through an 82-game season and playoffs. “We really should call it core endurance,” Vitti said, because sustaining control of center of gravity over time prevents breakdowns under load.
The recent 2024–25 injury wave underscores Vitti’s point; several star players suffered major lower-body injuries this season:
- Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers): tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics): tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the New York Knicks.
- Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks): tore his left Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the first round vs. the Indiana Pacers.
- Dejounte Murray (New Orleans Pelicans): sustained a noncontact torn Achilles tendon in a game vs. Boston.
- James Wiseman (Indiana Pacers): tore his left Achilles tendon in the season opener vs. Detroit.
- Dru Smith (Miami Heat): tore his left Achilles tendon on Dec. 23 while attempting to shake a defender.
- Isaiah Jackson (Indiana Pacers): tore his right Achilles tendon while attempting a rebound.
- Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic): suffered a season-ending ACL tear on Dec. 21 and underwent surgery.
