Achilles injuries have been a troubling trend that took over these NBA Playoffs. Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum were among the marquee names sidelined by the same issue during the 2025 playoffs — a significant blow to the league’s star power. All three are expected to miss most, if not all, of next season.
So what’s behind the apparent rise in these injuries? According to Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, it comes down to conditioning. Garnett didn’t hold back during a recent episode of his podcast “KG Certified,” arguing today’s players simply aren’t in good enough shape.
“We don’t think that today’s NBA players, they do play at a fast rate, but I don’t think they’re in tip-top shape,” Garnett said. “I don’t think these players today, I think they think they’re in shape, until they talk to motherf—ers that are in shape. I don’t think the league is in the type of shape that you need to be in the type of shape to play at this pace. I think they think that, and if anybody knows the body, your calves are your breaks. The one thing that supports the calves is your Achilles. So, if your calf is the first thing to shut down, you have to think about how things are built, right?”
Haliburton, Lillard and Tatum suffered similar injuries — pushing off to make a play, either with or without the ball, in non-contact situations. Haliburton had been managing a calf strain during the NBA Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder but still started the first half of Game 7 before going down in the opening quarter.
Garnett emphasized that training habits, particularly in strengthening calves, have fallen by the wayside in today’s NBA, and players are paying the price.
“I heard the other day some trainers was talking about the lack of calf raises for some of the players to end their workout,” Garnett said. “Bro, we used to end a workout, especially on leg day, with calf raises. This is how I’m speeding up. This is how I’m stopping. This is my whole wiggle. If you calves ain’t here, add on top of whenever I finish I gotta be athletic enough to finish, right? … Strengthen your f—ing calves. Do the f—ing calf raises every day.”
Experts say it’s not just conditioning. According to the Associated Press, Dr. Kevin Farmer and Dr. James Borchers — two leaders in sports medicine — point to a mix of culprits: low-cut shoes, longer seasons, even certain antibiotics. But the biggest red flag, they argue, is early sports specialization. As more young athletes ditch multi-sport training to focus year-round on a single game, their bodies may be less prepared for the demands of the pro level.
