A SHORTENED 2020–21 season is part of the National Basketball Association’s plan to reduce the impact of a compacted offseason.
The league’s desire to get closer to the usual calendar, including ending next season in April with the playoffs running into mid-June, is also driving decisions around the makeup of next season.
“If you’re going from the middle of October to starting the season the first of December, if you are one of the teams in the Finals, that’s quick,” Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said on a conference call Tuesday. “But they want to try to stay as close to the historical timing as possible. So I don’t think this is something you’ll see stick. They’ve talked to us on one of our GM calls that it might be a condensed schedule next year. More so than in the past. As you know, there’s been a big drive to avoid back-to-backs and certainly four in five nights, but we might find ourselves in a situation next year where it would be much more condensed.”
The 2019–20 season is scheduled to resume in Orlando on July 31. The Hawks are one of the eight teams who aren’t part of the restart with no chance to reach the playoffs. That means the Hawks, like other teams such as the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, would go from mid-March until November without formal workouts.
“Because of this circumstance, I think the league wants to stay as close to its original schedule as possible,” Mr. Schlenk said. “There’s a lot of different reasons for that — the college season, the draft and how all of that plays out. So that’s why they’ve laid out a timeline where it would be a very quick turnaround from the NBA Finals to the start of the season.”
The tentative key dates that the NBA released last week include training camp starting Nov. 10 and the first regular-season game being played Dec. 1.
Key considerations facing the league next summer include the postponed Olympic Games, scheduled for July.
SHAW G LEAGUE COACH
Meanwhile, Brian Shaw, a five-time NBA champion with nearly 30 years of experience as an NBA player and coach, has been named head coach of the new NBA G League team featuring elite youth prospects, it was announced by NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Debuting under Shaw in the 2020–21 season, the new team will include recent NBA G League signees Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd, Daishen Nix and Filipino Kai Sotto as they begin their professional careers while receiving mentorship and life skills training. The team will be unaffiliated with any existing NBA G League franchise or NBA team.
“Brian’s extensive experience and success as an NBA player and coach make him a natural choice to lead the new NBA G League team,” said Abdur-Rahim. “We look forward to watching these terrific young players develop their skills and grow as professionals under Brian’s leadership.”
“I’m excited to serve as head coach of the new NBA G League team,” said Shaw, who had stops in Boston, Miami, Orlando, Golden State, Philadelphia, Portland and Los Angeles Lakers as a player before transitioning to coaching. “This is a new and different challenge in my career, and I’m ready to get to work mentoring, coaching and developing the next generation of NBA stars.” — Reuters
