Count Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers as among those not pleased with the NBA's ever-changing COVID-19 protocols. Speaking with reporters following the team's loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, Rivers was blunt about the negative impact the rules have had on the Sixers, particularly since they seem to β€œevolve” quite often.

β€œAll the mask rules keep changing like every two weeks,” Doc said in his postgame comments, according to Chris Crouse of Forty-Eight Minutes.

While the Sixers coach may have exaggerated a bit in his timeline regarding the frequency of changes instituted by the league, he is correct that the NBA has made multiple adjustments to its mask policies.

Despite allowing players to forgo wearing masks while on the bench at the beginning of the season, the league opted to take a more aggressive approach at the start of January following a rash of outbreaks among multiple teams. Not only did the NBA switch to requiring players to wear masks while not in the game, but the league also mandated that all staff and personnel wear KN95 or KF94 masks–both of which health officials consider to provide the highest amount of protection.

Just like the Sixers, players and staff from the other 29 teams were also limited to their hotels and places of residence outside of games. They are required to report any outside contact they may have had.

While the regulations have seen a drop in the number of cases around the NBA, multiple players have spoken about the mental toll they have taken and lamented the lack of β€œfun” this season has brought.

Though the Sixers are off to an impressive start to the campaign, a lack of consistency from the league office is less than ideal to hear as Doc Rivers tell it.