Over the last few years, load management has become a widely used tool across the NBA. As a result, stars and superstars are increasingly sitting out more and more games they could’ve played merely to rest.
The practice has been polarizing for fans and pundits. While proponents claim it reduces a player’s risk of injury and keeps him fresh for the playoffs, critics say it hurts a team’s chances of getting home-court advantage and cheats fans out of their hard-earned money.
In an attempt to curb this practice, the NBA Board of Governors approved a new set of rules on Wednesday regarding players sitting out games merely for rest.
Via NBA communications:
“Under the policy, unless a team demonstrates an approved reason for a star player not to participate in a game, then, among other things, the team must:
“• Manage its roster to ensure that no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game.
“• Ensure that star players are available for all national television and NBA In-Season Tournament games.
“• Maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home and road games.
“• Refrain from any long-term “shutdowns” in which a star player stops playing games.
“• If resting a healthy player, ensure that the player is present at the games and visible to fans.
“The policy includes exceptions for injuries, personal reasons and pre-approved back-to-back restrictions based on a player’s age, career workload or serious injury history.”
These rules will take effect for the 2023-24 NBA regular season.