NBA returning as early Christmas present for fans
With the NBA returning Dec. 22, many fans are excited at the prospect of an upcoming season, but the accelerated restart leaves the league with some unknowns. Unsplash
It was a seemingly normal evening when, in an unprecedented moment, the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz were forced to leave the court March 11 after Jazz center Rudy Gobert was announced as the first player to test positive for COVID-19.
How far we’ve come.
The Los Angeles Lakers were eventually crowned champions in October, after a whirlwind of a season that included a months-long stoppage and then resumed in a “bubble” format without fans.
In a normal season, there would be a four-month offseason for players to recharge and train their bodies for the grueling wear and tear of the next 82-game season. Yet after the conclusion of the 2020 playoffs, players have now been handed only two months of offseason time, given a planned restart date Dec. 22.
One might think that could lead to more injuries once the 2021 season begins. Yet according to Pam Gibbons, Chapman’s director of Athletic Training and Sports Medicine, that may not be the case.
“It’s nice to have a month or two to recover,” Gibbons said. “Injury issues after the offseason don’t really happen at this level.”
So the shortened offseason might not be a problem – but a retooled regular season might. In 2021, each NBA team will compete in a 72-game season, rather than the normal 82. The schedule will be released in two segments; the first half of the season will be played from Dec. 22 to March 5, then the second half March 11 through May 16.
It may not seem like a big change, but this alteration is important.
In a shortened time span, there is potential for more ‘back-to-back’ contests – where teams play games on consecutive nights. That’s something Carol Jue, head coach of the Chapman women’s basketball team, said can be taxing on players.
“It’s going to be a lot of wear and tear,” Jue said. “They probably won’t play three games in a row like they used to, but it takes a lot (of physical exertion).”
What’s more, teams will no longer be confined within one hotel, having to readjust to the physical strain of frequent travel. This phenomenon has demonstrated adverse effects, like an impact on players’ sleep.
“Our college team would leave at 6 a.m., play the game at 5 p.m. and try to make it home the same night,” Jue said. “We took the bus, but NBA players have to fly around the country.”
Not only can traveling cause physical strain on the body, but Gibbons said it could lead to COVID-19 outbreaks in locker rooms.
“You’re talking about 40 to 50 people in your travel party,” Gibbons said. “If someone in that party does something and comes in contact with someone who is positive, they’ll put their whole team at risk.”
Over the past few weeks in the NFL, there have been rampant outbreaks in various locker rooms. Gibbons believes outbreaks like these are possible in an NBA restart without the “bubble” format.
“It is realistic to expect that they have a similar situation to what they have in the NFL,” Gibbons said. “While they charter (planes), they have to go through airport security and get on a bus. Travel in and of itself puts you in contact with a lot of people.”