And-Ones: Achilles Injuries, Draft, Cap Room, Z. Smith

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league is looking into the upswing in Achilles tendon injuries, writes Tim Reynolds Of The Associated Press.

This season alone saw Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), James Wiseman (Pacers), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Dejounte Murray (Pelicans), Dru Smith (Heat), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), and Damian Lillard (Bucks) suffers Achilles tears. Nuggets 2024 first-rounder DaRon Holmes also tore his Achilles during Summer League last July.

“We had already convened a panel of experts before Tyrese’s most recent Achilles rupture,” Silver said. “We had seven this year. We had zero last year under the exact same circumstances. The most we’ve ever had in a season is four.”

Some of the factors Silver is considering are how young players and NBA players train in the offseason. He also says the league is employing artificial intelligence to help with this inquiry.

“I’m hopeful that by looking at more data, by looking at patterns, this is one area where A.I. — people are talking about how that’s going to transform so many areas — the ability with A.I. to ingest all video of every game a player’s played in to see if you can detect some pattern that we didn’t realize that leads to an Achilles injury,” he said.

We have more news from around the league:

• After trading down from No. 31 on Thursday, Timberwolves president Tim Connelly suggested during a post-draft media session that a number of prospects seemed to have their slots locked in before the second round began. “It was really curious how agent-driven the second round became,” Connelly said, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (via Twitter). “We called players left and right, and there was 20 deals done before the draft started.” The extra day in between the first round and the beginning of the second round seems to have impacted the way agents have maneuvered their clients to the spots they prefer in the second round.
• With the 2025 draft in the rear-view mirror, the offseason financial picture is clearer, writes Keith Smith for Spotrac. The Nets remain the only team with cap space, though the Pistons could still choose to be a room team as well. He adds to keep an eye out for the Grizzlies attempting to dump one or two more players to free up the cap space to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s contract, then runs through the cap situations for the other 27 teams too.
• Former Sixers guard Zhaire Smith will be working out for teams in Las Vegas on July 11, reports Marc J. Spears for Andscape (via Twitter). Smith’s career got derailed early on due to a broken foot, followed by a life-threatening allergic reaction to sesame that left him forced to use a feeding tube. He has since been trying to get back to the league, including playing 14 games last season with the Mavericks’ G League team, the Texas Legends — he averaged 20.9 points and over a block per game.