The NBA is aiming to start training camp on December 1 according to New York Times’ Marc Stein. This is in conjunction with the next NBA season potentially starting on December 22. NBA training camps typically start three weeks before the regular seasons starts so it’s nothing out of the ordinary here. While these dates aren’t finalized yet, it’s clear that the league wants to start the next season as early as possible.
Dec. 1, I'm told, has emerged as the likely opening day for NBA training camps if the league's plan to set Dec. 22 as opening night of the 2020-21 season is approved by the union
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 27, 2020
NBA Training Camp Could Start Dec. 1
The last NBA season ended in the middle of October in Orlando, and there were many unknowns going into the offseason. There were questions as to when would free agency, training camp, and the next season would all start. Before last week, many basketball fans thought it wouldn’t start until January because that’s the start date that Commissioner Adam Silver predicted.
The NBA ended up targeting December 22 as the start date for next season and December 1 as the start date for training camp. They are looking at a 72-game regular season and finishing the postseason before the 2021 Olympics. This plan also includes getting fans back into the arenas which is something that the league desires. However, it will depend on the situation with this ongoing pandemic. As of right now, the start date for free agency is still unknown.
The NBA is targeting Dec. 22 for the start of the 2020-21 season and a 72-game campaign that finishes before the ‘21 Olympics, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 23, 2020
While many basketball fans are looking forward to the next season, this doesn’t benefit the players who played on teams that were in the bubble. With these potential start dates, it drastically shortened the offseason for teams that made a deep playoff run such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. The players from those teams will likely feel sluggish at training camp and during the start of the regular season. The training camps are crucial to each team when it comes to physical conditioning for the players and building team chemistry through practices. On the other hand, the teams who didn’t play in the bubble get a nine-month offseason. These are the extremes on both ends of the spectrum.
Main Photo
