NBA's new load management policy won't have much impact on Raptors
Former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse might’ve created a monster that the NBA is now trying desperately to control.
Back in 2018-19, in the Raptors’ championship season, Nurse, Kawhi Leonard, and the rest of the team’s medical and coaching staff came up with a plan that ultimately saw the star player suit up for just 60 of the team’s regular season games, typically sitting out one-half of the back-to-back contests.
The “load management” plan, which was devised as a way to limit the stress on Leonard’s knee and keep him fresh for the playoffs, obviously worked flawlessly, as the team was able to capture their only NBA title in franchise history.
Leonard wasn’t the only star player to start sitting games in order to try to stay healthy for the playoffs, but it’s since grown into such a problem that the NBA has now implemented a policy for the 2023-24 season that prevents two “stars” on the same team from sitting the same game, as per an ESPN report.
As per the NBA’s new “player participation policy” rules expected to be approved today, a designated star includes any player to have made the All-Star Game or an All-NBA team in any of the last three seasons. The policy also prohibits stars from sitting national TV games and in-season tournament games and has a preference for players missing home games over road contests so as to give fans across the league a chance to see stars in action.
Leonard has been the poster child of rest and injuries in the NBA — he hasn’t played more than 60 games in a single year since 2016-17, despite being viewed as one of the game’s top talents.
Under the current definition, Toronto would’ve had three designated “stars” on its 2018-19 roster, as both Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol would’ve also qualified as six- and three-time All-Stars, respectively.
The Raptors would’ve had two stars in 2019-20 (after the All-Star game that Pascal Siakam qualified for) and 2020-21 with Lowry still on the roster, while they would’ve had just a lone star in 2021-22 until after the All-Star game that Fred VanVleet qualified for.
The thing is, the modern Raptors don’t really have much to worry about with the policy.
Last season, Toronto had two such players that would’ve qualified in Siakam and VanVleet, but it is back to just one, with the latter departing for the Houston Rockets.
Toronto is one of just five teams that don’t have to worry about the rules, which might give you an indication of where its competitive aspirations lie for next season.
The biggest difference for Toronto will be they’ll have fewer visiting players skipping games at Scotiabank Arena, which could help when it comes to buying tickets next season with a bit less of a worry that there will be a “B” squad on the opposing sideline.
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