For the first time ever, the league is set to introduce the in-season tournament to the regular-season calendar. While the event has been getting positive reviews from fans and experts, former NBA player JJ Redick says that the tournament only appeals to a very specific type of player.
“Whoever ends up winning the In-Season Tournament is probably the team with the most amount of sickos on their team. I mean that,” Redick said. “Like, you don’t need to give Chris Paul a reason to be competitive. He wakes up that way. Some teams and some players are just wired that way. There’s a purpose to everything they do. The NBA weeds out the non-competitive people very quickly. And I think this is another opportunity for the competitive people to rise to the top.”
Similar to the NBA’s 2020 bubble tournament, Redick feels that the in-season event will cater to players who don’t need external motivation. With no prize for the winners save for a modest cash prize, there will be plenty of participants who barely bother to try for the tournament. But for those that push through, they will have an added edge against the field.
Will The Players Buy-In?
The biggest concern for the in-season event so far is the level of interest from the players. With regular-season games waning in importance over the years, the NBA’s biggest stars have been trending the wrong way when it comes to taking the games seriously from October to April. So when the league added the in-season tournament to the mix, it was met with major hesitation from teams, coaches, and players.
Without full buy-in from the top guys, it’s going to be hard for the NBA to sell this tournament as an improvement over the norm, but the signs are looking good that they will be playing to win. For the early rounds of the tournament, each game will count toward the win-loss record and each team will bring out a specialized court to celebrate the occasion. For the teams who make it to the final stages, they will be rewarded with two less games on the schedule as well as a potential cash prize for each player and the coaches. While it may not be enough to fully turn up the intensity, it should be enough for the big stars to fully buy-in.
Who Will Win The In-Season Tournament?
With the tournament separated by groups, it’s still a mystery how this whole thing will play out but winning the trophy will require two stages: Group Play and Knockout Rounds. In the Group Play period, each team will play four designated games on “Tournament Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group, with two at home and two on the road. The Knockout Rounds will be single-elimination games, meaning that any of the eight teams who advance to this stage has a chance to pull off an upset.
Of course, predicting who will ultimately win the tournament isn’t an easy task. Since all 30 teams will be present, any one of them could win given enough effort, dedication, and focus on the court. If you ask Stephen Curry, a team like the Lakers stands a good chance of winning just based on their proven track record. In reality, though, the in-season champion will likely be the team that wants it the most.
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