The NBA is zeroing in on a preseason slate of games, expected to start in mid-December, with each team required to play host to at least contest, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Sources: The NBA is targeting Dec. 11-19 for 2020-21 preseason and teams have the option of requesting three or four games. Each team must host at least one home game.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 14, 2020
With an eight -day slate of games currently being targeted, from Dec. 11-19, the league is giving each organization the option to select three or four games to prepare themselves for the start of the season on Dec. 22nd.
While the NBA attempts to institute a much shorter turnaround for itself in between seasons, it is little surprise that the exhibition schedule has been significantly compressed from its previous length of over two weeks. While there have been rumblings in the past about eliminating some of the matches, with many viewing them as unnecessary, the league has in the past utilized them as an opportunity to schedule matchups overseas, testing the waters for an expansion internationally that has long been rumored. With travel restrictions due to the spread of COVID-19, however, such a move this year is obviously off the table.
The announcement regarding the start of the preseason is also the first of what is expected to be a slew of news regarding the schedule of the upcoming campaign. Though they have yet to publicly comment on when the slate of games for each franchise will be released, there has been rampant speculation as to what form the reduced 72-game schedule will take. The finalizing of the exhibition schedule, would seem to suggest that such an announcement is imminent.
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