Sure, NBA basketball will be back before we know it, but to a large extent, it seems like the league is figuring things out as it goes along.
As we speak, we are yet to find out when the league will lift its trade moratorium, though we can safely expect that to occur sometime before Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
Similarly, we do know that the league is planning on beginning its 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, but until Saturday, details on the league’s preseason were unknown. When it was set to begin and how many games each team would play were both major unknowns.
For what it’s worth, the 2020-21 season will have each game compete in 72 games, with a play-in tournament possibly determining the final two playoff seeds in each conference.
Some additional light has been shed on the commencement of NBA basketball, thanks to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Sources: The NBA is targeting Dec. 11-19 for 2020-21 preseason and teams have the option of requesting three or four games. Each team must host at least one home game.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 14, 2020
According to the insider, the 2020-21 NBA preseason will be contested between Dec. 11 and Dec. 19 and will see each team play either three or four games. What the means is that after each franchise conducts its offseason business (including the draft), teams will convene for training camp on Dec. 1 and have about 10 days to prepare for preseason competition.
About a week of exhibition games will be followed by the regular season tipping off on or about Dec. 22 (not all teams are likely to play on opening night).
It’s safe to assume that the league is currently figuring out its scheduling, including the extent to which teams will travel. It should be noted that as the coronavirus pandemic has shown consistent signs of worsening over the past several weeks, that the league’s plans to commence its season under a more traditional format could be subject to change.
As of now, however, there are no reports suggesting otherwise, so for now, teams will continue to plan as if the regular season games will begin on Dec. 22 and — based on what we now know — that the exhibition season will begin about 10 days prior.
