The NBA is once again considering reducing games to 40 minutes to prevent injuries
The frenetic pace of the game and the schedule cause numerous absences, and commissioner Adam Silver is studying implementing in the future an idea that has been talked about for years
O n the night of last October 28, there were 80 NBA players on their respective teams' injury lists. That represents 15% of the total. And that, in the second week of competition. Faced with the succession of injuries suffered by players, the League is analyzing different options to reduce players' physical workload and protect their health while games are played at a breakneck pace that forces the protagonists into enormous efforts.
The solution that might seem most logical, reducing the 82-game regular-season schedule, is unfeasible , as it would mean a cut in franchise revenue from television rights and ticket sales . Moreover, that would also affect players' salaries, and no one likes having their wallet touched.
So an idea that has been heard for years has regained momentum: the possibility of reducing the length of games to 40 minutes , as in FIBA basketball, instead of keeping the current 48. According to some U.S. media outlets, commissioner Adam Silver would be studying that option .
As in the previous case, it would also have its drawbacks. For example, with fewer minutes, franchise owners could demand cuts to players' salaries . In addition, the time available for advertising slots, another source of revenue, would likewise be reduced .
Some believe that, moreover, this measure would not greatly reduce the stars' minutes, but would mainly affect rotation players. The starters would still play above the half-hour average, while the rest would indeed suffer a big cut to their time on the court because eight fewer minutes would be played and there would not be enough for everyone. That could lead to rosters ultimately becoming shorter by not needing so many players .
And another very important aspect would be that of statistics and records . The NBA is a competition that places great weight on numbers, and it is obvious that the same ones cannot be reached in 40-minute games as in 48-minute ones . If that measure is implemented, all figures from then on should carry an asterisk in the history books.
As the NBA looks for a solution to such a serious problem, fans are seeing how this season Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, Kawhi Leonard, Jalen Williams, Tyrese Haliburton... An alarming trickle of star absences have already gone down, hurting the spectacle and the competition.
