The 2019-2020 NBA (National Basketball Association) season is upon us (starting Tuesday, October 22) and here’s what you need to be in the know.
Short and sweet,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The most exciting part about this upcoming NBA season (unless you’re a Warriors fan) is that there is no guarantee that Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are going to dominate like in the past. Eyes will be on quite a few teams including the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers, which have made some major moves in the off-season and the Toronto Raptors will be defending their first championship title from last season. UP FOR GRABS
2. A big focus this season for the league is on the players’ mental health throughout the grind of the season. The league’s mental health and wellness program requires teams to have 1-2 mental health professionals available to players in addition to a psychologist and have a written plan for emergencies along with a confidentiality plan. Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love has long been open about his mental struggles in the league including panic attacks during games and has been an advocate for transparency when talking about mental health. SPEAKING OUT AND STANDING UP
3. Love it or hate it, instant replay has taken over the NFL (National Football League) and NBA fans will now get a taste of it. In a one year trial, the NBA will implement instant replay, allowing coaches to have one challenge and allow the NBA Replay Center to trigger instant replay in certain situations. One thing you won’t see on instant replay? Branded tattoos. The league has put a kibosh on players repping any brands during games (yes players have tattooed corporate logos on their bodies) besides the league approved ones. KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU
4. NBA players are just like you in that they lack sleep too. Between boarding flights after late night games and arriving in the next city in the wee hours of the morning, to back-to-back-to-back travels days, fatigue is a real problem in the league. In a less than six month season, teams will travel 50,000 miles, roughly 20,000 more miles than NFL teams cover in a season. That’s enough miles to circle the globe twice. FLY THE FRIENDLY (AND TIRED) SKIES
5. The guy everyone is excited about is Zion Williamson. While he has never played a minute in the NBA, the #1 draft pick not only has New Orleans Pelicans fans on the edge of their seats but the world. Only time will tell how his rookie season will pan out. NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Bonus - Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the already complicated relationship between the NBA and China that was rocked by a tweet. Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for Hong Kong and the ramifications have been extremely complicated and harsh, including teams planning for a possible drop in salary cap if the relationship between the two completely sours. SUMMING IT UP
