The NBA has been working to modify the regular season schedule with the goal of protecting its players’ bodies.
One of the particular changes the league has made this year is using new software to adjust the variables to soften the grind of travel, back-to-back games, and strength of schedule.
Thursday, the NBA released the 2016-17 season schedule , and the league successfully reduced the number of back-to-backs games for each team, along with significantly reducing four game stretches in five nights for teams.
Next season, not one NBA team will play more than 18 back-to-back games, which is still on par with the league average of 17.
In addition, the league has managed to eliminate 10 teams from having to play four games in five nights, while the rest of the league is scheduled to do it just once.
In comparison, teams played four games in five nights 70 times just two years ago, so there has been significant progress in that area.
The NBA’s scheduling had some players asking for a shorter season with injuries seemingly coming more frequently, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes and Tom Haberstroh .
This is the first step in a complex process that will hopefully continue to help the NBA better distribute its 82 game schedule, and reduce the wear and tear during the long NBA season.
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