Joe Mazzulla Responds to Steve Kerr Sounding Alarm on NBA Injuries

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown played only 10 minutes in the first half of the Celtics’ win over the Nets on Tuesday. He returned for 22 of the final 24, indicating that his poor play contributed to the early reduction while Joe Mazzulla pointed toward wanting to disperse them toward the latter portion of the game. Apparently feeling under the weather, he only took a few questions in the locker room after.

But that night aside, the Celtics have effectively scaled back Brown’s minutes from 34.3 per game last season to 32.1 through the first 15 games. Despite suffering a hamstring tweak one week before opening night, he appeared in every Celtics game so far, worked through limited athleticism early in the schedule and fought through what seemed like a scheduled night off in New Orleans to score Boston’s first win. The Celtics, Jayson Tatum aside, have only officially missed one game due to injury when Luka Garza entered concussion protocol. Hugo González avoided a significant ankle sprain when he left the game last week in Philadelphia.

Yet elsewhere, there are rampant soft tissue injuries costing players time, including Brooklyns Cam Thomas (hamstring), Anthony Davis (calf), Kawhi Leonard (foot/ankle), Ty Jerome (calf), Ja Morant (calf), Giannis Antetokounmpo (groin), Jordan Poole (quad), OG Anunoby (hamstring), Paolo Banchero (groin), Jalen Green (hamstring), Dylan Harper (calf) and Victor Wembanyama (calf) are currently out with strains. The Celtics have benefited from some of those absences, including against Memphis, Brooklyn, the Clippers and Pelicans, who were missing Zion Williamson with a hamstring injury then. They’ve mostly benefitted from their own health, winning 8-of-12 since their 0-3 start.

“I think that’s where the league is headed for sure,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t know the science or the medical data behind that, but I appreciate the wear, tear, the physicality, the things that the guys do to get their bodies ready to play, and the league is playing faster. That’s one of the reasons why not having (substitution) patterns, playing 11-12 guys, keeping guys fresh, that’s huge, because at the end of the day, the way to be successful in this league, especially over the last couple of years, has been with the effort and the toughness and the physicality of 94 feet, and playing fast on both ends of the floor, pushing pace and dictating that.”

“It takes a lot more and I think that’s more of why we’re leaning into anybody on any given night. Who is the freshest physically and mentally and how can we take advantage of everyone’s strengths? And so just have to be aware of that and then trust the medical team and the sports science team.”

The Zach Lowe Podcast noted through Jeff Stott’s injury research that an uptick in soft tissue injuries typically occurs from training camp into the early portion of the NBA schedule, and Stotts’ research didn’t indicate an unusual increase this year. The NBA, however, acknowledged recent concerns raised by Steve Kerr by announcing the league tested more than 500 biomechanics performance tests to optimize performance and reduce injuries. They plan to continue them throughout the schedule. Last year, an unprecedented spike in Achilles tears heightened ongoing conversations about the state of injuries in the league, play style and the schedule.

Brown spoke on his stream and in a recent media appearance about the increasing pace around the league. The Celtics tried to increase the speed they play at entering this season, he and Mazzulla argued, only to be further surpassed by efforts other teams made. Boston has averaged roughly the same number of possessions per game (96) this season, though Mazzulla has referenced other ways to measure pace like the time where sets begin in the shot clock as more accurate assessments. Those have also pointed toward a relatively slower-paced attack, though if increased player movement, minutes and intensity have contributed to injuries around the league, perhaps a more methodical approach benefited the Celtics to begin the year.

“I think everybody’s trying to play faster, everybody’s trying to pick up full court, everybody’s trying to kind of play the same way,” Derrick White said. “The league changes a lot. I mean, when I came in in San Antonio, we were playing (LaMarcus Aldridge) and (Jakob) Poeltl at the same time. Now, you don’t really see that as much anymore. So I mean, kind of goes back and forth, but every team is trying to play faster to get easier baskets and pick up full court to create more internally. So it’s definitely changed. Maybe I’m getting old. Who knows.”

While the Celtics have fared well health-wise this season, and avoided significant injuries last year while managing their older roster, it’s impossible to ignore their franchise cornerstone who could miss most of this season. Like Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and others, he still faces a significant journey to full strength ahead, and suffered his tear at an unusually early stage of what’s been one of the most durable stretches ever by a player to begin a career. It’s impossible to ignore the number of games, breadth of responsibility and significant minutes Tatum assumed with pride.

This year, the Celtics have managed minutes with caution. White, like Brown, is playing fewer of them while Payton Pritchard’s only increased by 3.7 per night while going from sixth man to starter. Anfernee Simons, who’s logging nearly 10 fewer each game in his new role, became a first half beneficiary when Brown took a back seat on Tuesday. Neemias Queta, who’s among the best on-off players in the NBA this year, is only averaging 24.5 MPG this season and surpassed 30 for only the second time on Sunday against the Clippers. Celtics players throughout the year have indicated that they’re trying to rotate in and out of games across shorter spurts where they can play as hard as possible. But Queta indicated he’s ready for 40 if necessary.

“You just have to be able to recover fast and be ready for the next game, because you got games every day, every two days,” Queta said on Thursday. “I think with time and experience, you get better at it. In the beginning of my career, when I was in the G-League, getting accustomed to that speed is good for you, you work on those things and you keep developing, and with time you get better and better … making sure you’re more locked in in the weight room, keeping on getting stronger, taking care of your body, getting treatment with the guys, getting old tub sessions and saunas, all that stuff, it really adds up. We’re not even a quarter into the season and you see a lot of injuries happening in the league, you just want to be on top of your stuff as best as you can.”