The term “load management” is a popularly discussed topic these days. This term is defined as the practice of resting top NBA players for entire games even though they are healthy enough to play. The reason this practice is controversial is that the NBA is a business. Fans purchase tickets to see their favorite players. Sometimes, those fans are swindled because their player is “DNP” due to rest. While in the olden days, resting players would make sense. These players were playing back-to-back road games, and that was tough on their bodies. However, the NBA has made changes to accommodate players to where they should be able to play as many games as they can during the season.
Players like LeBron James missing time at 38 years is one thing. Younger players like Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard missing time for rest is different. Both players have experienced injuries that have forced neither to ever play 82 games. Resting injuries is part of the game if that player is injured, but the idea of “new school” is full and front right now. The issue that “old school” players have is that they feel that “new school” players are not playing a full season because of injuries but because they know they have the power to take more rest days now than in the past.
Michael Jordan is one of those players from the “old school” era that made it a habit to play in every game. Jordan played in all 82 games nine times and didn’t miss a game from March 1995 to June 1998. Even at 40 years old, Jordan played all 82 games and played nearly 37 minutes a night. The all-time leader in assists, John Stockton, played in 82 games 16 times in his career. These superstars headlined the 80s and 90s. It might feel like that time was not far back, but we are pushing 30 years from that time. The game is changing whether you like it or not.
The “new school” era and philosophy towards playing every game have changed. The discussions highlight that, but the numbers prove it. Playing in every game is not something we might not see. Who suffers, and what pioneered “load management?” Did COVID-19 or the rise of players’ power spurn player’s time on the court? What you discuss as the rationale is a debate. The numbers prove that this is a problem.
Here are the number of players to play every game in the last 10 seasons.
2012-13 – 28 Players
Players: Omer Asik, Andray Blatche, Corey Brewer, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Monta Ellis, Randy Foye, Alonzo Gee, Spencer Hawes, DeAndre Jordan, Damian Lillard, Jeremy Lin, Robin Lopez, O.J. Mayo, Andre Miller, Markieff Morris, Lamar Odom, Tayshaun Prince, Luke Ridnour, Nate Robinson, Luis Scola, Kyle Singler, Jason Thompson, Klay Thompson, Tristan Thompson, Evan Turner, Kemba Walker, Russell Westbrook
Two members from the Rockets played every single game this season. Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin were durable during this season. Asik averaged a double-double of 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds as well. He was the only player to average a double-double in all 82 games. Meanwhile, Lin was coming off his “Linsanity” experience with the Knicks. Lin averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists.
Among those that played all season, 15 of those players made 82 starts. Both Asik and Lin were a part of that group. The only player that was over 30 years old was Luke Ridnour, who played 82 games for the Timberwolves. The leading scorer of the group was Westbrook, who averaged 23.2 points and 7.4 assists at 24 years old. His teammate, Kevin Durant, missed one game during this season to come up just short of perfection.
2013-14 – 29 Players
Players: Ramon Sessions, Brandon Bass, Nicolas Batum, Norris Cole, Mike Dunleavy, Monta Ellis, Channing Frye, Taj Gibson, Draymond Green, Gerald Green, Jeff Green, Richard Jefferson, DeAndre Jordan, Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews, Ben McLemore, Khris Middleton, Mike Miller, Greg Monroe, Marcus Morris, Timofey Mozgov, Ricky Rubio, Luis Scola, Kyle Singler, Jason Thompson, Tristan Thompson, John Wall, Cody Zeller
The regular season lasted 82 games, but this season saw a rare moment when Ramon Sessions played in 83 games. Sessions played 55 games for the Hornets before he was traded to the Bucks midway through the year. Because of the schedule, Sessions played 28 games with the Bucks to finish the year with one more extra game compared to his peers. The rest of the 28 players played in 82 games, which featured two members of the Chicago Bulls, Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson.
Dunleavy started in 61 games, while Gibson made eight starts. Twelve players made all 82 games, and four of those players came from the Trail Blazers starting lineup. Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez, and Wesley Matthews all made 82 starts. The only member 30 years or older to start all 82 games was Channing Frye with the Suns (30 years). Richard Jefferson and Dunleavy were both 33 years old and played in all 82 games.
2014-15 – 28 Players
Players: Josh Smith, Trevor Ariza, D.J. Augustin, Harrison Barnes, Brandon Bass, Aaron Brooks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jae Crowder, Andre Drummond, Dante Exum, Rudy Gobert, Marcin Gortat, Solomon Hill, DeAndre Jordan, Damian Lillard, Ben McLemore, Nikola Mirotic, Markieff Morris, Chris Paul, Elfrid Payton, Mason Plumlee, Terrence Ross, Jason Smith, Tristan Thompson, Evan Turner, Grevis Vasquez, Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Zeller
Another season saw a player hit 83 games. Josh Smith played 28 games with the Detroit Pistons before getting traded to the Houston Rockets, where he finished the season playing 55 games. Among those that were starters, the number dwindled to 11 players that made 82 starts, with an additional nine players making at least 80 starts in general. The only 30-year-old to make 82 starts was Marcin Gortat with the Wizards.
Gortat was the only 30-year-old to play 82 games in general, while four players 29 years old made 82 games as well. The leading scorer among the group was Chris Paul at 19.1 points per game. Both Paul and his teammate DeAndre Jordan played in 82 games together. Jordan was one of two players, Gortat, to average a double-double during the season.
2015-16 – 18 Players
Players: Al-Farouq Aminu, Will Barton, Bismack Biyombo, Corey Brewer, Gorgui Deing, Enes Freedom, Langston Galloway, James Harden, Al Horford, Zach LaVine, Robin Lopez, Shabazz Muhammad, Mason Plumlee, Ramon Sessions, Isaiah Thomas, Karl-Anthony Towns, PJ Tucker
At this point, you should start to notice a trend. Players under the age of 30 years old are more likely to play in all 82 games. Wear and tear is a part of that. Among this group, PJ Tucker was the only player 30 years or older to play in all 82 games. Another trade is that All-Star talent was not a frequent member of this group. The outlier for his year was James Harden, who played all 82 games and averaged 29.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.7 steals at 26 years old.
The starters pool dipped to just six players. Those players were Al-Faroug Aminu, Harden, Al Horford, Robin Lopex, Mason Plumlee, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Trail Blazers, once again, relied on their starter’s minutes as Aminu and Plumlee both played 82 games. Several other 20-point scorers played 81 games, but if you look deep into this season, it makes what Harden did even more impressive.
2016-17 – 17 Players
Players: Corey Brewer, Marquese Chriss, Jordan Clarkson, Jamal Crawford, Gorgui Dieng, Marcin Gortat, Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Justin Holiday, Ersan Ilyasova, Joe Ingles, Jamal Murray, Elfrid Payton, Marreese Speights, Jeff Teague, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins
Can we take a moment to recognize what Jamal Crawford did this season? Crawford played in all 82 games and averaged 14.7 points off of the bench at 36 years old. Crawford did not win the Sixth man of the Year, won by Eric Gordon, but played 26.3 minutes per night. Two 21-year-old teammates in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, headlined three members of the Timberwolves playing 82 games. Gorgui Dieng joined the pool of starters.
These three Timberwolves are just three of five players to make all 82 starts. The others were Jeff Teague of the Packers and Marcin Gortat of the Wizards. The leader of the 82-game players was Towns and Wiggins. Towns averaged 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds. Towns and Gortat both averaged double-doubles for the season. Wiggins averaged 23.6 points and 4.0 rebounds. It gave fans in Minnesota hope for the future.
2017-18 – 26 Players
Players: Bradley Beal, Dragan Bender, Bismack Biyombo, Dillon Brooks, Pat Connaughton, Raymond Felton, Yogi Ferrell, Taj Gibson, Marcin Gortat, Joe Ingles, LeBron James, Tyus Jones, Cory Joseph, Khris Middleton, Darius Miller, Patty Mills, E’Twaun Moore, Patrick Patterson, Jako Poeltl, Taurean Prince, Julius Randle, Ish Smith, Lance Stephenson, Karl-Anthony Towns, PJ Tucker, Andrew Wiggins
After two years, durability found its way back as the players’ total stretched back over 20. The player that stands out was LeBron James. In his first season without Kyrie Irving since returning to the Cavaliers, James willed the Cavaliers back to the NBA Finals. During the regular season, his All-Star season was headlined with 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks. When you think about the 33-year-old James at the time, what he did this season is remarkable.
James was not the only 20-point scorer that played all 82 games. Bradley Beal averaged 22.6 points, and Khris Middleton averaged 20.1 points. James was also not the only 30-year-old or older either, as he was joined by Joe Ingles (30), Taj Gibson (32), PJ Tucker (32), and Marcin Gortat (33). Gibson, Gortat, and James were three of eight players to start at least 82 games. For another consecutive year, both Towns and Wiggins started in 82 games.
2018-19 – 21 Players
Players: Bam Adebayo, Bradley Beal, DeAndre’ Bembry, Mikal Bridges, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bryn Forbes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Montrezl Harrell, Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Justin Holiday, Joe Ingles, Reggie Jackson, Cory Joseph, Patty Mills, Monte Morris, Royce O’Neale, Mason Plumlee, Collin Sexton, PJ Tucker, Kemba Walker
Both Kemba Walker and Bradley Beal took scoring to a whole other level. Beal and Walker both averaged 25.6 points and started all 82 games. Both were incredibly important pieces for the Wizards And Hornets, respectively. Two other players scored at least 20 points per game. That featured Buddy Hield (20.7 PPG) and Tobias Harris (20.0 PPG). No players averaged a double-double and played all 82 games.
Among the youth, PJ Tucker was the oldest at 33 years old. Joe Ingles joined him as the only 30-year-olds or order to play at least 82 games. Seven players made at least 82 starts. Walker, Beal, Harris, Hield, Tucker, and Ingles were joined by Reggie Jackson in that regard. This number could have been a lot higher as 11 other players started 81 of 81 games but missed the one game to fulfill the full season requirement.
2019-20 – 0 Players
Remember, this season was shut down by COVID-19. Because the NBA shifted to the bubble, the NBA season did not reach 82 games this season. The player that led the league in games played was Maxi Kleber, with 74 games. Thirty-six players made at least 70 appearances during this season. The best stat line among the players was Devin Booker, who averaged 26.6 points and 6.5 assists in 70 starts with the Suns.
Behind Kleber, Mikal Bridges, Dillon Brooks, Justin Holiday, Nikola Jokic, Monte Morris, Duncan Robinson, and Delon Wright played at least 73 games. Among those starters, both Brooks and Jokic started in all 73 games they played. Jokic was a rising star at the time with a line of 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists averaged.
2020-21 – 11 Players
Players: Dwayne Bacon, RJ Barrett, Bojan Gobdanovic, Mikal Bridges, Anthony Edwards, Enes Freedom, Justin Holiday, Nikola Jokic, Georges Niang, Duncan Robinson, Ivica Zubac
Because the world shut down, the NBA season was stretched into the fall, and the offseason was condensed. The NBA lost regular-season games because of the schedule. The league scheduled 72 games. For the sake of this season, we will highlight the players that played every single game this year despite the season not being 82 games.
Only one player in this group averaged over 20 points per game. Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. Jokic, Enes Freedom (Kanter), and Ivica Zubac each averaged a double-double. Among the starters pool, five players made all 72 starts. Jokic, RJ Barrett, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mikal Bridges, and Duncan Robinson started every game. Bogdanovic (31) and Justin Holiday (31) were the only players 30 years or older to play every game this season.
2021-22 – 5 Players
Players: Deni Avjija, Saddiq Bey, Mikal Bridges, Kevon Looney, Dwight Powell
Last season was the lowest total of players playing every game in 10 years. If you compare this total to 10 years ago, the reduction is nearly 75%. If you look at the number of players that played 80 games, the combined total was 13 players, which is still nearly half of the number of players that started all 82 games. Powell was 30 years old last year and the oldest player in the group. Both Saddiq Bey and Mikal Bridges were the only players to start in all 82 games, while Kevon Looney started in 80 of the 82 games played.
The best stat line in the 82 games played was Bey. With the Pistons, Bey averaged 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds at 22 years old. Among players in the 80-game pool, Miles Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Evan Fournier started in all 80 games they played. The numbers show that “load management” isn’t a far-fetched discussion topic.
2022-23 – 6 Players
Players: Isaac Okoro, Anthony Edwards, Isaiah Hartenstein, Buddy Hield, Damion Lee, Benedict Mathurin, Julius Randle
For the time being, there are only six players that have played every game this season. Two of those players come from the New York Knicks. Both Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle have played all 62 games for the 35-27 team. Two members of the Pacers, Buddy Hield and Benedict Mathurin, have played all 62 games for the 27-35 Pacers.
For now, Isaac Okoro leads the league with 64 games played because the Cavaliers have played 64 games. Okoro has made 34 starts in his 64 appearances for the 39-25 Cavaliers. Out of all of these players, Edwards is the only player that has played all games and averages at least 20 points per game. The 21-year-old is currently averaging 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
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