Subscribe
Follow Us
One of the biggest changes for the NBA next season is right around the corner, and a solution has been offered to players who have been struggling with the decision about when to play versus when to rest.
To be honest, an 82-game season is a complete grind when you are constantly catching flights, and playing four games in five nights, including multiple back-to-back games per month. It limits players' ability to play games at peak performance and the product on the floor suffers at different points of the season.
To help eliminate some of the wear and tear, players and coaches have begun adopting a model the San Antonio Spurs were infamous for using, which is resting players on random nights, but it became an issue when star players were found in suits when fans paid to see them play.
The NBA has now decided to make modifications to its national television schedule to introduce a more workable solution that will help satisfy rest requirements, including extending the season by one week and working with the players association to help identify problem areas.
Article Continues Below
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, below is a list of new additions and improvements to the schedule starting in the 2017-18 season.
• Eliminating stretches of four games in five days and 18 games in 30 days.
• Reduction of five games in seven nights to just 40 instances across (1.3 per team), down from last year when it was on the schedule 90 times (three per team).
• Reduction in the number of back-to-backs to 14.9 per team, down from 16.3 per team. In all, 40 back-to-backs have been eliminated from last season.
• Reduction of single-game road trips by 17 percent.
• Reduction in single-game road trips over 2,000 miles by 67 percent; there are only 11 of them on schedule.
• Increase in weekend games from 549 to 568, much of the boost coming on Saturdays. Previously the NBA avoided Saturdays and Sunday afternoons during football season to dodge conflicts.
These particular additions will remain unchanged although teams can petition the league for changes they may see as necessary.
With the final touches expected to be completed this week, look for the new schedule to be announced soon after.
