If NBA Returns, GMs & Trainers Pushing for Month-Long Training Camp

Workload progression and the physiological factors are often ignored in professional sports.

Maybe ignored isn’t the correct term, but the majority of fans and individuals around the game neglect the injury prevention and performance optimization aspect of the game.

Workload accumulation and tracking has become a huge talking point around the game of baseball as there is growing concern over a potential spike in pitching injury upon return to play. Similarly, there continues to be some level of worry over bringing back NBA players after an extended hiatus, and moreover extended time away from a basketball court.

“You’ve got some players that are privileged enough to be isolating in their luxury mansions with full gyms and [who] practically built their own Olympic training centers,” said one NBA athletic trainer.

 “And you’ve got some people that are isolating in their 1,200-square foot apartment or at their parents’ house. That’s the range of the 450 some odd players in the NBA. I think that to make those determinations, you can’t make a determination on the guy that lives at his own private Olympic training center. You have to make the determination at the lowest common denominator,” he added.

Some within the game even believe that players should receive a 30-day ramp up before even playing competitive basketball.

“But I need these guys pushing their bodies for at least 30 days prior to the first meaningful basketball game,” one GM said. “And by meaningful basketball game, I mean a postseason game.”

As the likelihood of salvaging the NBA season continues to decrease, more and more questions begin to arise on how teams can handle a potential return to play.