Chet Holmgren, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Zion Williamson, and Kevin Durant are just a short list of the stars who have suffered injuries this season or remain injured. Honestly, it’s hard to keep track. Embiid has only played 13 matches this season. Whereas Kawhi Leonard has only played 3. It’s becoming a genuine struggle for teams to keep their star players on the court. We’re only in Year 2 of the NBA’s Player Participation Policy, and we’re already seeing a significant rise in injuries.

Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports reported that star players will miss over 1,000 games this season, marking a 24 percent increase compared to November 2023 to November 2024. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, actually feels the load isn’t enough. Shocking, right?

On The Herd with Colin Cowherd show, Silver acknowledged 170 million middle-class Americans’ frustration when star players miss games because of injuries or rest. He pointed out that the NBA has already taken steps to reward players for playing more games, mentioning that the last collective bargaining agreement added provisions to make players ineligible for certain awards and benefits if they fall below a certain number of games played.

However, Silver also clarified that the problem isn’t just about load management, but also about how the league plans to adapt to player needs. “I think we’ve dispelled that notion that it somehow through some analytics or a computer program that on November 12th, you can make a decision that a player should sit out on December 20th,” Silver said, emphasizing the issue of planning player rest too far in advance. This, he noted, was once a common practice but has now shifted due to better data and understanding of player health.

Silver also dove into an intriguing point about why early-season injuries might be on the rise: “It may even be the case that some of the early injuries are caused by players not having enough load.” He referred to the past when players would have a more relaxed offseason, with some taking the month of August off, gaining weight, and coming into training camp to get back into shape. “Now, there’s hardly a player in the league that isn’t working out every single day,” Silver continued.

He mentioned that while there’s no definitive answer yet, there’s a noticeable correlation between early-season injuries and the way players are training. Silver also addressed the three-point issue.

Adam Silver promises to fix the 3-pt issue

Adam Silver knows fans aren’t thrilled about the NBA’s obsession with three-pointers, and he’s ready to step in.

Chatting with Colin Cowherd on The Herd Wednesday, Silver didn’t shy away from the topic. Cowherd asked about the surge in three-point attempts, and the commissioner admitted it’s a problem worth fixing. “As stewards of the game, Joe Dumars leads our competition committee here, we will tweak it, we will correct those issues,” he said.

Silver made it clear that he’s not just focused on stats—he’s worried about the soul of the game. “Offenses start to look very similar, and we lose that uniqueness,” he explained, pointing to iconic styles like the Showtime Lakers and Bad Boys Pistons. The current trend? A lot of teams are starting to feel like clones.

But don’t worry—Silver isn’t about to turn the clock back to slow, grind-it-out basketball. He knows they must approach the solution carefully. Look at the Celtics, for instance. They chuck up 49.4 threes a game—more than half their shots—and hit just 36.2%. You can’t help but wonder if that’s what fans want to see night after night.

Fans have been vocal about how the game’s flow feels off with all these long-range shots. Silver agrees, and it sounds like tweaks are coming. So, if you’ve been missing a little variety and some old-school flair, you’re not alone—and the NBA is listening.