The NBA shared the results of a decade-long study showing no clear link between load management and a reduced risk of injury. Researchers analyzed 10 years of league data, factoring in schedule demands, total games played, and regular-season workload. The findings suggest that resting healthy players, even during back-to-back games, does not necessarily prevent injuries. Instead, other factors like age, prior injuries, and surgical history seem to play a larger role.
The report comes amid growing frustration from fans and media about star players sitting out without clear medical reasons, which led the NBA to create the Player Participation Policy. This rule encourages healthy players to compete and penalizes teams that break participation guidelines. While experts caution that the study does not claim rest is useless, they emphasize the need for balance between recovery and consistent play. The data also showed a major rise in missed games by star players, from an average of about 10 per season in the 1990s to nearly 24 today, reflecting how medical and performance staff have increasingly influenced playing time decisions.
