The NBA is instituting new rules and guidelines for player performance during the upcoming 2023-24 season. In an attempt to crack down on “load management” and star players sitting out of games for rest purposes, the league will enforce stricter punishments for teams who rest their core players during national TV games, in-season tournament games, and sitting out multiple All-Stars in the same season.

Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office have been formulating ideas going back to the  the 2022-23 season to try and find a solution to the issue of star players sitting out. There is hope that the new set of rules governing player availability will result in a better, more competitive season that is enjoyable for every fan of the NBA, especially with star players playing in bigger games.

Whether or not the league's idea works is a whole separate question, as teams will very likely still find a way to get around the load management rules put in place. As for Silver, he discussed the reasoning behind this change at the league's Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday.

“The player participation policy is part of many steps we've taken,” Silver explained as he mentioned the play-in and newly added in-season tournaments. “The player's association was very much part of it. We had extensive discussions with them, and then individual groups of players, particularly veterans in the league. I do worry on infringing on how a team operates… Change will probably happen here incrementally.”

Many teams around the NBA will need to adjust their philosophies in terms of getting players rest as a result of these new rules and guidelines. Organizations who have multiple star players will not be able to rest them together, and this will be a learning process for teams, players and the league office as well.

Penalties will be handed out for certain instances of a rule break. Then again, the league is going to be working with all 30 franchises to ensure the new policy is fair and regulated the same way for every single team.

“We don't see any statistical data suggesting players increase their likelihood of getting injured as they go further along in the season. Or even in back-to-backs, which may surprise people,” the commissioner continued. “Part of the commitment here, from the league office, is we are putting together a group of team doctors and scientists and others to try and better understand everything.

“The message to our teams and players is not that rest is never appropriate.”

In every single sport, rest is necessary and the NBA has acknowledged this on multiple occasions. These new rule changes are not to eliminate rest and recovery, but to offer a solution to teams holding back their healthy players in order to have them ready for a potential late-season or postseason run.

The league has found no evidence suggesting that a player is more likely to get injured as the season goes on compared to a game-by-game basis, as Silver alluded to.

“What we've tried to do as the league office is work through all the different issues by recognizing genuine concern from the fans and, of course, the media that's paying for the opportunity to broadcast those games,” Silver stated. “But at the same time, taking into account player health, not looking to turn the clock back, and not suggesting to any player that they should be playing when injured.”