Something that has become more prevalent over the last few years in the NBA has been teams resting players simply for fatigue. It is something the league and Commisioner Adam Silver have been looking to combat as it has often lead to star players being out for marquee match-ups on national TV.
One of the main ways the NBA is trying fix this is by changing the schedule. In giving players more rest throughout the season by reducing things like back-to-backs, it should allow teams to feel better about playing all healthy players.
With that in mind, the NBA recently sent out a memo to all 30 teams outlining the number of changes they will make to the schedule this season via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
“In a memo given to teams this week, the league outlined how it hopes to reduce the stresses of travel and give players a chance to recover more than in the past. This is a proactive measure aimed at both player safety and to reduce the number of games in which teams rest healthy players.
After a series of high-profile players didn’t play in major matchups last season, the new schedule protects key national television matchups to make sure teams aren’t playing on back-to-back nights.”
In addition to reducing things like back-to-backs, the NBA also plans to limit situations such as four games in five nights and five games in seven nights. They also plan to significantly reduce single-game road trips, especially those that require teams to travel over 2,000 miles.
Overall this is an excellent idea and action by the league and Silver. It aims to reduce player fatigue which will hopefully help prevent injuries and it helps to maintain the integrity of their premier games.
In helping to accomplish this goal the league will be starting the regular season a week earlier and is also expected to have more weekend games as they would tend to avoid Saturday and Sunday afternoon games to prevent conflict with the NFL and college football.