The 2024 NBA preseason started on Oct. 4 with multiple games across the country on opening night. The preseason happens yearly so fans can witness rookie debuts, predict performances and create anticipation for the upcoming season.
Length: The preseason is only two weeks long ending on Oct. 18, four days before the official tip-off of the NBA Season. If the NBA is going to provide preseason entertainment it should at least be a month long.
Injuries: Since the preseason is so close to the official season, it can jeopardize a star player’s performance, affecting the entire team ahead of the tip-off. Injuries are a big problem in the preseason. So far NBA superstars like Luka Doncic, Paul George, Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards have all been injured. Ahead of the 2022-2023 season, Chet Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc fracture during a preseason Pro-Am game in Seattle. The injury stopped him from having an official rookie year with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Without Holmgren, the Thunder had a mediocre season losing 52% of their games. When Holmgren was cleared to play in the 2023-2024 season, the Thunder placed first in the Western Conference, winning 57 out of 82 games.
It’s boring: The preseason is boring. Even though fans can watch the games, they are pointless and don’t have any value. The players aren’t putting in 100% effort and there isn’t anything on the line. This makes the games boring because they aren’t as electric as a normal NBA game. Most fans need to pay for “NBA League Pass” to watch, meaning fans are paying to watch irrelevant games.
Similar to the NBA Summer League: The NBA preseason is too similar to the NBA Summer League. The Summer League is for all the rookies and younger players to compete in a tournament-like style which serves the same purpose as the preseason. The only difference between the two is that the preseason is more traditional. In the Summer League, all teams can play a maximum of four games while the preseason has a maximum of six games.
What to fix: To improve the preseason, the NBA should make all games free to watch and move the end of it further from tip-off. If all preseason games were free it would boost viewership and increase the worldwide fanbase. Additionally, moving the end of it further from the official season would help players prepare and have time for their bodies to recover.
