October 30, 2023 By: Mark Knudson

Lack of “Load Management” days off is not good news for veteran NBA teams

Over the past few seasons, the idea of “load management” for NBA players has grown into an issue that became so important – and irritating – to the league (the fans, actually) that they’ve decided to put a stop to it.

Coaches like San Antonio Spurs head man Gregg Popovich decided awhile back that giving days off to key players – sometimes several at the same time – was the best way to keep players fresh and ready for the postseason. Never mind that it robbed fans of the chance to see star players perform in person, perhaps for the only time ever.

The coaches saw it as the best medicine.

Not the league front office. Ever mindful of the wants of the paying customers, they stepped in and put a halt to “load management.”

NBA exec Joe Dumars concluded a statement from the league on why they were nixing load management this way: “It’s hard for fans, media, and everybody when you hear a guy’s been scheduled to rest three months from now. I mean what are we doing?”

So this year, coaches cannot simply sit out a star player (or players) on the second night of a back-to-back for instance, as a precaution.

They gotta play.

At least a little.

This is, of course, not taking into account the inevitable injuries that are bound to happen across the league.

Injuries aside, it’s back to the drawing board for coaches, who have to manage players’ minutes now with one eye on regular season success and the other on freshness for the playoffs. What will the contending teams do?

It’s not going to be all the difficult on teams like Minnesota, where the T-Wolves star player is 22-year-old Anthony Edwards. His running mate Karl-Anthony Towns is just 27.

Same goes for Memphis Grizzlies teammates Ja Morant (when he returns from suspension) and Jaren Jackson Jr. Both are just 24 years old. They’ll be fine.

However, other playoff contenders may not have such an easy time managing minutes and keeping aging players healthy and in the line-up. We saw a glimpse of how the Los Angeles Lakers may plan on limiting the regular season wear and tear on 38-year-old LeBron James in LA’s opening night loss at Denver. Rather than his standard eight minutes (or longer) at a time stints on the court, Head Coach Darvin Ham had LeBron in for stretches that were closer to five minutes in length. Play five minutes, then back to the bench. Almost hockey-like, in a way.

In the season opener, a fully healthy LeBron played just 29 minutes.

Across the league, coaches of other stars – specifically guys who’ve already logged a lot of NBA miles – will be trying to figure out how to rest players while still having them participate in the game.

Teams other than the Lakers that should be concerned? Kevin Durant isn’t getting any younger. At 35 and with an injury history, his Phoenix Suns will need to find a way to rest him. Same goes for new teammate Bradley Beal, who’s already hit 30 (and is currently nursing an injury.) Youngster Devin Booker, just 26, will have to carry a bigger load.

Golden State Head Coach Steve Kerr, with Steph Curry (36), Chris Paul (38), Draymond Green (33) and Klay Thompson (33) will need to be creative with his lineups.

Keep this in mind while knowing that there will be no such thing as load management this season: Kyle Lowry is 38. James Harden is 35. Jimmy Butler is 34. Paul George is 33 and Kawhi Leonard is 32. Kyrie Irving is 31, reigning MVP Joel Embiid is 29.

Which teams have an edge now that load management isn’t a thing anymore?

Remember, Boston’s Jason Tatum is just 25, as is Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Zion Williamson and his oft-injured feet are still just 23, and Luca Doncic is just 24.

Their coaches and teams shouldn’t have an issue.

The newest super team, favored to win the Eastern Conference, is Milwaukee with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo who’s just 28. He’ll team up with sharpshooter Damian Lillard, 33 for the first time. Managing minutes will be important for the Bucks, but maybe not as critical as it is for the Lakers and Suns.

That brings us to the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who boast the league’s best player in 28-year-old Nikola Jokic. His supporting cast is still young too – Jamal Murray is 26, Michael Porter Jr. 25 and Aaron Gordon just 28. Yes, Denver Head Coach Michael Malone will still have to manage minutes and utilize his young bench, but his worries about load management are still a few years away.

That’s one of the big reasons the Nuggets are primed to repeat.