The NBA wants its biggest stars on the court whenever possible, but load managing has often prevented that in recent years. However, before the 2023-24 season, commissioner Adam Silver and other higher-ups are trying to end load management with a strict player participation policy (PPP). These new pro-participation rules have already been approved, so how exactly will they impact star-studded teams like the Boston Celtics?

Defining what a “star” exactly is can be tricky, yet according to the league, it's a player who has been on an All-NBA or All-Star team in any of the last three seasons. Therefore, the Celtics have two stars within the new PPP in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

In the upcoming season, Tatum and Brown cannot both be sidelined for a game. While there are exceptions, such as legitimate injuries and what the NBA calls “rare and unusual circumstances,” more than one-star player can't sit during a regular season contest. If both Tatum and Brown missed a game without league approval, the Celtics would be fined $100,000 for their first offense, then $250,000 for a second, and $1 million more than the previous penalty for each additional violation, per ESPN.

Luckily for the C's, their young stars have been quite durable over the years. Tatum has never played under 60 games in a season and he only sat out eight games during the entire 2022-23 campaign. Altogether, Tatum and Brown were out of Boston's lineup for just two contests.

The Celtics rarely load manage, so this league policy isn't really targeting them. Yet, when April rolls around, the C's will ideally be prepping for the playoffs and not worrying about late-season games against the Charlotte Hornets (April 12) or the Washington Wizards (April 14). But with the PPP, sitting Tatum and Brown for those potentially underwhelming outings will be a lot tougher.

Tatum and Brown aside, the C's do technically have another star on their roster, it's just the NBA doesn't see it that way. Center Kristaps Porzingis will hopefully make his debut with the Celtics when their season starts on October 25th. However, he has plantar fasciitis and a rough injury history that could hamper his return. Despite being selected to an All-Star team in 2018, Porzingis does not fit into the league's “star” guidelines. He's never received an All-NBA nod and hasn't been an All-Star in any of the previous three seasons.

While it's a little disrespectful to view the 7-foot-3 center as less than a star, it kind of works in Boston's favor. With no star status, he'll be able to sit more and rest on some back-to-backs, unlike Tatum and Brown. This gives the Celtics the ability to closely monitor his health and hopefully gear him up for the postseason, which Porzingis has only participated in two times in his eight-year career.

It is worth noting that if the 28-year-old wants to be named to an All-NBA team or compete for individual accolades, he'll have to play in at least 65 regular season games (barring a season-ending injury). Porzingis has only stayed that healthy in three total seasons, but fortunately for the Celtics, one of those was just last year. The Latvian big man's previous injuries remain a question mark, yet at least the NBA can't easily punish Boston for resting him under the current PPP rules.

Overall, the league's war on load management isn't meant to punish the Celtics. Tatum and Brown typically prefer to compete in every game, which is more than some teams can say about their franchise players. How these new restrictions shape the NBA remains to be seen, but at the very least, fans can count on seeing their favorite players a little bit more.