There's more NBA action on Sky Sports this weekend as the Philadelphia 76ers host Indiana Pacers on Saturday at 6pm on SS Arena; then NBA 360 follows the final regular season games on Sunday from 8.30pm before Golden State face New Orleans at 2.30am in our late game
Saturday 9 April 2022 18:01, UK
BJ Armstrong reckons the pace that the game is being played at in the NBA now makes it impossible for top stars to play at their top level night-in and night-out.
It comes after Adam Silver said earlier in the week he had concerns about the number of games being missed by the league's top players.
Sky Sports HeatCheck pundit Armstrong reckons the combination of the volume of games compounded by the pace of play which is preferred by most teams make it no surprise that people need nights off.
"I believe there is a clear reason why these players are missing the games," said BJ. "The style of play and pace is not sustainable because of the volume of games.
"The game was not meant to be played at the pace that those young men are playing on a night-to-night or every second night basis.
"It's like having a Ferrari in the garage. You don't want to use a supercar to go to the shops. It's not made to be driven every day and if you are going to, then you've got to slow it down.
"Playing at this pace for 82 games, with the athletes, something has to give – and what's giving is the athletes' availability. Speeding up the game is taxing on the body when done over such a sustained amount of time.
"So you're gonna have to slow the NBA game down somehow. It is the most unique basketball league in the world. It's not a sprint, this is a marathon – and yet these players are being asked to run a marathon at a sprinter's pace."
No doubt, the demands are greater than ever before on the players and the pace of play during the regular season is indeed greater than it has ever been.
Additionally, the highly successful Play-In Tournament is set to become a fixture in the NBA season, as Silver confirmed earlier this week, but does its existence not afford even more opportunities to rest players given that two-thirds of teams will now have a chance to make the playoffs at the conclusion of the regular season?
Evan Wasch, executive vice president of Basketball Strategy and Analytics at the NBA, was asked by Sky Sports NBA whether he sees the desire to have top players featuring more regularly in games, as mentioned by Silver, and the development and potential expansion of the Play-In Tournament as competing agendas.
"I don't know if they're necessarily competing," Wasch said. "Player participation is a function of two things: player availability, and then the actual incentives around the competition.
"We're really focused on that first one, which is: how do we reduce the number and severity of injuries? How do we help teams and players manage injuries manage return-to-play processes to reduce the likelihood of future injuries?
"There's been a really strong collaboration across the 30 teams and league office, medical advisors and partners, as well as the player association itself. We think that there's a lot to be gained on that side but even after that, you then need a competition format, and a structure that incentivises players to play throughout the year.
"We made a number of changes on that front as well, when you optimise a schedule to reduce back-to-backs and reduce the scheduling load on players that helps; when you change the draft lottery as we've done, so that there's not an incentive to race to the bottom and less incentive for teams to chase ping pong balls in the same way that they may have once; then something like a play-in tournament, which keeps more teams in the mix, again, creates that incentive to keep healthy players on the court.
"It's just a really integrated approach to trying to drive that player participation but as Adam (Silver) said, there's still more we can do there – and we want to.
"It's been a long area of focus for us and we'll continue to explore other potential changes. But, ultimately, a lot of this ends up being incremental, and that we have to make small changes over time to get to where we want to be."
It's clear the league is keen to explore new and innovative ways to address the various issues around superstar availability.
Obviously, teams look to peak during the playoffs and Armstrong observes that the game settles into a more manageable rhythm and pace during the playoffs. He believes there are a few changes which could be made that could be of benefit to the players.
"There's an overwhelming emphasis on the pace and space idea," the former Chicago Bulls player and front office executive explained. "Ball movement and player movement is the most important thing. Just watch how everyone advances the ball in the NBA now, the ball is always advanced now with dribbling. Intuitively, I know that I can pass the ball faster than I can dribble.
"The emphasis on passing is going to be the most important element to the game of basketball in the future because ball movement equals player movement. I don't have to slow down how fast I run, I just have to change how I'm doing it. Just like they're doing it now with automobiles.
"They're building fast cars that have the capability to be everyday cars because they're just doing it now in a different way. Okay, Jokic is one example of showing how you don't have to be the most athletic player to play in today's game, because he utilises his skills in a way that means he can play the game in a sustainable fashion - and you'll notice he passes the ball a lot."
Armstrong believes that playing and coaching to a different style will be key to reversing some of the trends which are exacerbating the exertions for top stars over the 82-game NBA regular season.
"When you get to the playoffs, what's the first thing that you want to establish? Defense," Armstrong said. "When we get back to teaching a more blended brand of basketball, it will allow the game to be played in a way that is sustainable for an 82-game season. If that happens, I believe that the players will be able to play in more games, because you're not going to tax them and ask them to do things that are not sustainable.
"You can't continue to advance the ball just with dribbling, you have to pass it up. If you watched the Warriors play at their peak, no one holds the ball for more than like two seconds. You have to play in a system that allows you to be able to play for more sustained lengths of time.
"Coaches are asking their players to play much faster during the regular season. If coaches believe that the pace needs to be fast, a player won’t say that he won’t play that fast. So it's down to the coaches to amend their approach to have that impact.
"The mentors of the game have to observe that although they may want to play at this pace, it’s not sustainable for the athlete to play at this pace within that style of play over the long term."
The rush of live NBA games continues on Sky Sports this week - see the list of games here and subscribe to watch the live action.
