The NBA’s new rest policy is part of recent efforts to create a more meaningful regular season. Over the past few seasons, teams have opted to rest stars if they were healthy enough to play.
While resting your best players for the playoffs makes sense, regular-season games need to mean something, too. Teams can no longer rest more than one star player at a time, or in a nationally televised game.
There are some additional rules in the NBA player rest policy, but what you need to know is that stars won’t be missing games as often as they have in the past.
“If the science was clearer that players should be rested, we would support that.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explains the Board of Governors’ decision-making process behind the new player participation policy. pic.twitter.com/YlDe2nMqBk
— NBA Television (@NBATV) September 13, 2023
While this should be a good thing for the league as a whole, there’s a reason some teams are resting their stars. Here are the four teams most affected by the NBA’s new rest policy.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a star-studded team that likely wasn’t too happy to hear about the rule change. Their top stars are Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Durant is 35 and hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19.
Beal has also struggled to stay healthy in recent years and is getting older, and Booker is the most reliable of the three but is already dealing with a calf injury.
Phoenix is committed to this season, but the NBA’s rest policies could put added pressure on injury-prone stars, something to keep in mind when doing anything. Online Gambling in Arizona.
When NBA players rest, it can potentially undermine the outcome of matches on the court and also affect how bettors place their wagers.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have rested their stars more than any other team over the last few years, if not more. They have an incredibly talented roster, but health is a big issue for them. It feels like we see Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in street clothes more than they do in uniform.
After making James Harden’s big tradeThe Clippers added another superstar to their lineup, not to mention Russell Westbrook, who also re-signed with Los Angeles this offseason.
The Clippers have four big-name players on their roster, so it will be tough to have them sit on the bench all year.
Golden State Warriors
No other NBA team has more players on the “stars” list to which this rule applies than Golden State, whose top four stars in the league include Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul.
The Splash Brothers are NBA icons, so it’s a shame for fans not to get to see them play when they come to town, and they were not very durable in the second half of their careers, which is why the NBA player rest policy has affected them so much.
Adding CP3 to the mix should make things more interesting, but even the 38-year-old might need a breather every now and then.
Los Angeles Lakers
Both Los Angeles teams will have to adapt to the new rule changes. After all, this policy focuses on the stars of the NBA. Who is the greatest star of the last 20 years? None other than LeBron James.
The Lakers will no doubt rest LeBron some time this year, but with the new rules, we’re likely to see a lot more of the 38-year-old. This applies not only to King James, but also to Anthony Davis.
Davis had major health issues with the Lakers, so it will be interesting to see how he holds up in 2023-2024.
