NBA: No Breaks Allowed?

Eighty-Two. From October to May, that’s how many games the average NBA team must play in any given season. This doesn’t include the playoffs or the newly added play-in, which could extend your season by one or even twenty-eight games. Despite this, it never stopped the world’s top players of old from dominating every game of every season. But with most things today, the narrative has changed. Injuries are at an all-time high. The game is faster than ever before. And the skill floor is as high as the Effiel Tower. This caused a new phenomenon in the NBA known as load management. Intentionally sitting players during the season to prioritize health down the stretch or in the playoffs. Some players like Kawahi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, this was the much-needed break from the action. However, they would not enjoy this privilege for long as NBA commissioner Adam Silver decided to crack down on load management this past offseason. With the rapid increase in injuries, many fans and sports analysts have begun to wonder what the solution is. One proposed idea was to shrink the regular season from 82 down to a number like 62. However, this was made with major pushback from old fans and retired NBA vets like Richard Jefferson, who shared his thoughts on NBA Today, saying, “That’s Absurd….They have done every single thing…You want to shorten the season? Like how much more do we have to make this coddling and all this stuff go with the players?”. While it is true that players are afforded a longer All-Star Break and fewer back-to-back games, it’s also apparent that it hasn’t been solving the issue. Others point to so many young players playing so much AAU basketball in their youth, burning out their cartilage and muscles by the time they get into the league. However, with the ever-increasing skill floor to get into the NBA, it’s almost impossible to pass up such opportunities. Some strength coaches have pointed out that their workouts have changed, citing that they no longer prioritize strong joints in exchange for more speed and power. The topic of breaks in the NBA is both never-ending and ever-changing. But with player advocates like the president of the NPA (National Players Association), Chris Paul, we may see a new solution very soon.