There’s nothing more terrifying in basketball than seeing a star collapse without contact. When Tyrese Haliburton went down with a suspected torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the league froze. For most, it was heartbreak. For Donovan Mitchell, it was something deeper — a raw, honest reckoning with the fear every player carries now. The line between greatness and heartbreak has never felt thinner, and the NBA’s injury crisis is starting to feel like more than just bad luck.

Mitchell’s reaction on X (formerly Twitter) was immediate and heartfelt. “These calf strains ain’t no joke man!! Praying for Ty 🙏🏾🙏🏾,” he wrote. His words carried a heavy weight. This wasn’t some abstract injury to him. During last year’s playoffs, Mitchell missed the final three games of the Cavaliers’ second-round series with a calf strain. This season, a sprained ankle in a game against, of all teams, Haliburton’s Pacers, hampered him down the stretch. He understood the risk Haliburton was taking.

In a recent, incredibly candid conversation with Taylor Rooks on Bleacher Report, Mitchell pulled back the curtain on the intense internal battle a player faces in that situation. He said he didn’t think Haliburton regretted playing, because he shares that same win-at-all-costs mentality. “You’re gonna drag me off the floor. Like, you know what I’m saying?” he said, explaining his mindset.

He admitted he was “very thankful that nothing came out of that” for him, but acknowledged the internal conflict is real. For Mitchell, the pressure to play through his own injury was even more intense because of what was at stake. “I’ve never made it past that round,” he confessed to Rooks. “So I think that, you know, was like a thing to try to like, I… got to figure out a way to get out there and and play. You know what I mean?”

That’s the warrior’s paradox: the drive to compete is so strong that it often forces players to ignore their body’s own warning signs. Mitchell explained how the internal dialogue becomes a fight against the medical advice he knows he should probably listen to. “Calf strains are tough, man,” he said. “I would say probably 90% of docs will tell you to sit down… And I think that is a conversation of saving you from yourself.” But when a championship is on the line, that logic often goes out the window. “I may be fighting the doctors and the team doctors to get out there,” he admitted.

For Mitchell, it wasn’t just about being a hero; it was about not wanting to be a distraction. “For me, it was just like, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it… It’s one of those things where it’s like, man, like, I don’t want to make this about me.”

This personal struggle is at the heart of the NBA’s new, terrifying headache. This postseason has been a brutal war of attrition, with a shocking spike in Achilles injuries sidelining some of the league’s biggest stars. Jayson Tatum went down. Damian Lillard went down. And now, Tyrese Haliburton. This all comes after Haliburton faced intense public criticism for his performance while injured in Game 5, with analysts like Kendrick Perkins questioning his toughness.

As Dr. Kevin Farmer, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Florida, noted, the increased wear and tear on younger athletes is a growing concern. “Instead of athletes getting (Achilles injuries) in their 30s or 40s because of wear and tear, we’re seeing it now early on because of the excessive stress they’ve developed their whole lives,” he said. For Mitchell, it wasn’t just about one player’s injury; it was a moment of stark realization about the brutal cost of chasing a championship, a cost that former players are now debating with a new sense of urgency.

“Why is all this happening?” Tyrese Haliburton’s injury sparks debate, from Matt Barnes and KD

Former NBA champion Matt Barnes put it bluntly on his podcast: “Why is all this happening?” It’s a question that has no easy answer, but Barnes, a 15-year veteran, has a theory, and it starts with some terrifying numbers. “There was only 45 Achilles tears from 1990 to 2023,” he explained. “Eight Achilles tears alone in the 2025 season.” That’s not just a spike, it’s an epidemic.

Barnes, like many, believes the problem starts long before players even reach the NBA. “These kids are playing way too many specialized sports at a younger age… I played four different sports in high school,” he said. “I think it starts with grassroots basketball… if you’re lucky enough to get to the league, [it] will probably put five years on your body.” He argued that the year-round grind of AAU basketball, the constant travel, and the sheer number of games are putting an unprecedented level of wear and tear on young bodies.

Of course, everyone has a theory. Rapper Cam’ron took to social media to blame the modern, low-cut basketball shoes. But Kevin Durant, a guy who knows a thing or two about Achilles injuries, quickly shot that down. “Brother, this absolutely has nothing to do with the injury,” he tweeted. For KD and Barnes, the issue is much bigger than footwear. It’s about the style of play. “The pace of the NBA game is as high as it’s been since the 70s,” Barnes noted. “There’s a lot less defense, so there’s a more ripping and running… people don’t want to see a 82-83 old school defensive battle no more… The trade-off for that is the wear and tear on these highly paid athletes body.”

The league is taking notice. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that a panel of experts has been convened to study the rise in these injuries. But for players like Tyrese Haliburton, who underwent successful surgery with Dr. Martin O’Malley in New York and now faces a grueling 8-to-12-month rehab, the damage is already done. In a heartfelt message after his surgery, he said, “I’d do it again… to fight for this city… I have no regrets.”

It’s that warrior’s mentality, the very thing that makes these players great, that is also putting them at risk. And for a league that has built its brand on a faster, more explosive product, that’s a major headache with no easy cure.