The conversation surrounding shortening the NBA season and load management has ramped up recently because of Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard not playing Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The NBA said it’s OK for the Clippers to rest Leonard during one game of a back-to-back. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Leonard is “not a healthy player under the league’s resting policy.” On Thursday, though, the Los Angeles Clippers were fined $50,000 for being inconsistent with Leonard’s status, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared his thoughts Thursday on supporting a shortened NBA season, and he also gave his perspective on load management.
“I always feel like the season could be 75 games instead of 82,” Kerr said, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Logan Murdock. “It may not sound like much, but seven fewer games during the season allows for more rest, more practice time.”
Kerr added, however, that if the NBA had a shortened season, less revenue would be coming in, and the league and players would have to agree to fewer games.
As for load management, Kerr explained how coaches know it’s important that their players rest when needed.
“Every coach knows his own team,” Kerr said. “We’ve rested guys over the previous few years. You do it when you know your player needs it, whether it’s a nagging injury or fatigue, long playoff runs.”
The topic of shortening the season holds merit. If a player such as LeBron James or Steph Curry has gone to multiple NBA Finals in a row, or even if a player has had consecutive long playoff runs, that can take a toll on their body.
As the discussion continues, it’ll be interesting to see how the league continues to handle load management and whether it will eventually shorten the season.
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