Annoying, interesting, frustrating, positive… The 65-match rule provoked, for its first year of application, multiple reactions among players and managers. It was put in place to slow down “load management” and Sam Presti gave his opinion above.
The Thunder GM agreed that the stars should play more. So he took out his calculator to check the effect of this rule. He notes that the stars played 84% of matches during the first part of the season. A number which is a “huge victory” but it is necessary to temper “because there is an incentive to play, given that you have to reach 65 matches to have financial bonuses and individual trophies. It’s a bit of a carrot and stick”.
Above all, Sam Presti adds that we drop to 72% after the All-Star Game, “one of the lowest figures, I think, in ten years”. “Then, in the playoffs, the stars only played 85% of the matches. The second worst percentage in a decade »he adds.
A second part of the season that is too busy
The absences for the entire first round of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and Zion Williamson obviously didn't help. No more than the missed matches of Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton or Donovan Mitchell. This observation is therefore easily explained.
And if there is a drop in the second half of the season, it is because of an overloaded schedule, with “the fewest days of rest and the most back-to-backs since 2015/2016, outside of calendars with Covid”specifies the manager.
For what ? Because as there is no match on election day (November 7), the end of the mid-season tournament took up two evenings at the beginning of December and we must not forget the week off at the time of the All-Star Game, then “these matches must be played somewhere”notes Sam Presti.
The players therefore played a lot at the start of the season, then less afterwards, not to avoid injuries, but to preserve themselves for the playoffs. “The injury prevention argument is a false argument. It’s all about maximizing performance.”he assures.
Less criticism if league doctors validate the calendar?
To quickly summarize, this first season with this new rule was therefore positive in forcing the stars to be on the floor at the start. Then, faced with a very busy schedule, it was less effective. Finally, the playoffs were tarnished by several notable absences, particularly in the first round.
How can this system be further improved? Sam Presti puts forward a simple idea: ask the “medical arm of the NBA” (he thinks of David Weiss, responsible for player health, and John DiFiori, director of sports medicine for the league) to validate the calendar of each team, in order to protect the health of the players as much as possible by checking that the accumulation of matches and travel is compatible with the physical and mental health of the players.
“I think getting them involved in the schedule would be a big win, and I think the complaints and criticism from the teams would go away if the doctors already said, 'Yes, it's suitable for NBA players.' It would be very innovative to do this. We are the most innovative league so why hold back from involving them more in the calendar? »asks the Thunder leader to conclude.
