Photo: Peter Baba

Longtime NBA assistant coach Ron Adams believes the modern style of basketball is contributing to the growing number of lower-body injuries around the league.

“Basketball used to be a two-footed sport,” Adams said. “If you ever watched a John Wooden practice, it was always the same: get to the paint and play off of two feet. Nowadays, the game is a one-footed sport.

Most players are making every move off of one foot.”

Moves such as stepback jumpers and Euro-steps have become central to NBA offenses, but sports scientists believe they also place enormous strain on the calf and hamstring muscles because of repeated explosive movements off a single leg.

Researcher Richard Lieber explained that injuries often happen when muscles are activated while being stretched at the same time, something common during modern one-footed basketball movements.

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