The shocking, season-ending injury of the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Chet Holmgren has got a lot of people thinking.
Some people think the Thunder have horrible luck while others still believe the best is yet to come.
Meanwhile, other people assume that teams throughout the league will no longer allow their players to participate in pro-am games.
Really, they probably won’t let them do anything but sanctioned practices and regular season games.
This is because Holmgren received his injury during a pro-am game last weekend.
Worth repeating from yesterday:
Guys play in high-intensity pickup runs all the time. Going way harder than any pro-am asks of them. The difference is no one sees it.
And you have international competitions too.
Basketball players play basketball. All summer long somewhere. https://t.co/YlDlxnlnc4
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 25, 2022
But NBA expert Keith Smith wants to remind fans that NBA players are always playing basketball, sometimes in ways that are far more intense – and dangerous – than pro-am games.
“Guys play in high-intensity pickup runs all the time. Going way harder than any pro-am asks of them. The difference is no one sees it.”
He concluded: “Basketball players play basketball. All summer long somewhere.”
He’s got a point and people shouldn’t demonize pro-am games.
An Unfortunate Injury
It is truly sad that Holmgren got hurt, especially at an event that was supposed to be a lot of fun and a great opportunity for fans.
But the fact is that it could have happened anywhere.
NBA players have been hurt in the offseason in a variety of ways, including during practices.
Zion Williamson, for example, suffered a season-ending foot injury during a summer practice session.
Smith is right: these guys are going to be playing some intense basketball during their summer break.
They will be doing things that could frankly hurt them again and again, they just won’t be doing it in front of a huge audience.
The truth is that this is a physically demanding game and can lead to injuries – that’s the reality of NBA basketball.
NEXT: Thunder Fans Are Preparing For Another Season Of Tanking