The term “load management” has become a hot topic in the NBA over the past few seasons.
“Load management,” meaning when teams rest players to avoid injuries and preserve them for the playoffs, is “no longer supported by the scientific data held” by the NBA, a league official told The Athletic. Joe Vardon and Sam Amick.
“Before, it was clear that the data showed that players needed to be rested for a certain amount of time, which justified them sitting out,” said Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations. .
“We’ve gotten more data, but it just doesn’t show that resting, sitting outside correlates with not having injuries, or fatigue, or anything like that. “That shows, maybe the guys aren’t as effective in the second half. It’s a back-to-back night.”
Through “load management,” many NBA stars are taking extra games off to rest in order to preserve themselves in hopes of making it to the NBA Finals.
While the phenomenon has become a hot topic, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during last season’s All-Star weekend in February that he didn’t think the league’s greatest players were missing too many matches, claiming that “there is real medical and scientific data”. about what is appropriate.
However, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed in April, for players to be eligible for honors including the MVP award and All-NBA teams, they must play a minimum of 65 games.
In addition, Shams Charania The Athletic and Stadium reported last month that the NBA Board of Governors approved a rule prohibiting teams from resting two star players in the same game. For example, the Phoenix Suns would not be allowed to rest Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on the same night.
If a team violates the policy, they will be fined, according to ESPN. Adrien Wojnarowski. A first offense carries a fine of $100,000 and a second offense carries a fine of $250,000. Any additional violations would be “$1 million more than the previous penalty for each additional violation.”
The new policies were implemented with the goal of incentivizing star players to suit up for as many games as possible. Star players missing games have impacted nationally televised games and affected the way fans buy tickets: they won’t want to attend or watch a game where their favorite player(s) (s) do not participate.
With these new policies, fans should expect to see the league’s biggest players in action more regularly during the 2023-24 season and beyond. The regular season begins October 24.
