Achilles tendon torn! Rookie Moore is seriously injured, and his agent angrily denounces NBA system: 13 trials to squeeze out new players

With only 4 days left before the 2025 NBA Draft, a young man who should have been full of expectations fell in the sprint stage - University of Oklahoma rookie Jaron Moore suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a pre-draft training in San Antonio, which completely changed his career trajectory.

According to draft expert Jonathan Givony, Moore was injured during the 13th trial, and he had three training games to be completed. The high-intensity and intensive trial arrangements overwhelmed the young player's body, which eventually led to a tragedy.

Moore successfully underwent surgery the next day and is expected to recover completely, but this serious injury will undoubtedly cause his draft market to drop sharply, and may even fall directly from the draft list.

"We are heartbroken for Jalon," Moore's agent, Mike Silverman of Equity Sports, told ESPN. "It's time to completely reform the pre-draft process in the NBA. Let players fly around the country and participate in high-intensity confrontational training to expose them to the risk of serious injuries. No other professional sports league will put their draft rookies in this situation. "

The pre-draft trial process has been controversial. Rookies need to travel around the United States in just a few weeks to participate in high-intensity training of multiple teams to demonstrate their strength. Moore has completed 13 trials before his injury, which means he conducts highly confrontational training and game simulations in different cities and different stadiums almost every day.

In fact, the intensity of NBA draft trials is far greater than that of other professional sports leagues. NFL rookies mainly participate in concentrated joint trials, while the NBA allows teams to arrange trials separately, which causes players to have to fly frequently and adapt to different training environments, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

Silverman's anger is not unreasonable. In recent years, many rookies have caused injuries due to overtraining before the draft, which even affected their careers. In 2021, popular rookie Jalen Johnson withdrew from multiple trials due to an ankle injury, and eventually plunged to 20th in the draft pick.

Although Moore's surgery was successful and he was expected to recover completely, the impact of Achilles tendon tear on athletes cannot be underestimated. Historically, many NBA stars have declined significantly after Achilles tendon injuries, such as Cousins ​​and Durant (although Durant successfully recovered, his athletic ability is still affected).

For Moore, this injury may mean that he fell from a potential first-round pick to a second round, or even lost. If he is not selected in the end, he may need to prove himself through the Summer League or the Development League, and the competition on this road is extremely cruel.

With only 4 days left before the draft night, Jalon Moore's fate has been rewritten. And the NBA, it's time to reflect.