A recent study conducted by doctors and researchers published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine found a link between an increase in minutes and Achilles tears among NBA players, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. "Significant workload spikes were found in the 10 to 15 games preceding Achilles ruptures for NBA players," the paper noted. "Over the past year, we have worked to better understand Achilles tendon injuries through a tendon health working group and additional research," the NBA's Director of Sports Medicine Dr. John DiFiori said in a statement. "While we welcome continued learnings, we believe the recent paper on this topic has important methodological limitations. Our own extensive review of league data to date, conducted with independent epidemiologists and consultants, spanned the 2012-13 season to the present and found no relationship between Achilles tendon injuries and minutes played before injury.