Player conditioning and load management have been one of the most rampant discussions in the NBA. From intentionally sitting out players to missing half your roster in the Playoffs, teams face a multitude of challenges and tasks in the Playoffs.
The Lakers’ superstar LeBron James recently went viral on social media for making an outlandish suggestion to the NBA. He said that there should be a month off given to each team between the regular season and the Playoffs. Two days before the NBA Finals began, Draymond Green went on his podcast and gave his two cents on LeBron James’ suggestion.
“[Le]Bron talked about there being a month off before the playoffs. I don’t know that that’s possible. Guys could get a bit out of shape, and it could have an adverse effect. Guys, getting back in, all of a sudden, you pull something because it’s been a month. So I don’t know if it’s necessary if a month is the right answer but two weeks? Ain’t no basketball, ain’t no NBA player getting out of shape in two weeks, but you do you can get a lot healthier in two weeks. You look at Steph Curry pulling a hamstring… Aaron Gordon saying two days in between games, I agree.”
Green then delved deeper into what a player’s schedule looks like if they play a Game 7 in one series and transition to Game 1 of the next series in just one day. From complicated travel plans to a lack of training and fatigue issues, a basketball player faces several issues in that situation.
What Aaron Gordon Said About The Playoff Schedule
Following Game 7 in their first-round series against the Clippers, the Nuggets had only one day to recover for the Thunder series in the second round. After even that series went to seven games, Aaron Gordon voiced his concerns with the NBA about scheduling.
“I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games in the playoffs instead of every other day. The product of the game would be a lot better. You’ll see a higher level of basketball. Probably less blowouts.”
“You saw it around the league like Steph [Curry] with the hamstring, JT [Jayson Tatum], Dame [Lillard]. There are guys all around the league who are just like suffering fatigue-based injuries because the games are so closely stacked together. A lot of the times, it’s the team that’s most healthy [who are winning].”
Gordon suffered a hamstring injury late in Game 6, following which the Thunder blew out the Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7. Either a long rest before a gruelling schedule of games in the Playoffs or an evenly spread schedule across multiple months? What do you think is the solution to this scheduling problem in the NBA? Let us know in the comments section.
