In an effort to provide a less grueling 82-game schedule, the NBA has implemented measures that afford players more rest time in between games.
NBA tackles player rest by eliminating stretches of 4 games in 5 nights
We shouldn’t see as many teams resting players as often.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
First, the league moved the season start date up from Oct. 25 to Oct. 17. Doing so allowed the NBA to eliminate stretches of four games in five nights this season. There were 20 such instances last season, 27 in the 2015-16 season, and 70 in the 2014-15 season.
The league also reduced instances of five games in seven nights from 70 to 36 — now an average of 1.2 per team.
In addition, the NBA reduced the number of back-to-back games from 16.3 per team last season to 14.4 this year, a decrease of 11.7 percent. No team has more than 16 back-to-backs and none will play fewer than 13.
The league also ensured that no marquee national TV matchups will be played on the second night of a back-to-back.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver made player rest an area of emphasis this summer after the Cavaliers, Warriors, and Spurs each rested their star players in late March and early April on nights they were expected to appear in nationally televised games. Hopefully, the restructured season results in a win for the players, the league and — most importantly — the fans.
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