It no secret that the NBA today is much different from it was 30 years ago. The league’s playstyle has changed, as have more than a few rules. As a result, players’ mindsets are no longer the same as their predecessors. This means that they approach games differently, younger players more so, since they have grown up abandoning certain aspects of the game that doesn’t just fit anymore.
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In recent years, the league noticed players didn’t appreciate the amount of back-to-back games on the schedule. Subsequently, they removed as many as they could to ease the load on their bodies and minds.
That is a change that fans can notice. The majority of people outside NBA circles, however, continue to believe teams still practice the way they used to a decade ago. Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue reveals that it is no longer the norm.
“You don’t want guys to practice, and now you don’t want guys to play,” Lue said on Club Shay Shay.
Shannon Sharpe immediately followed up by asking Lue to cite the difference between practices during his time as a player in comparison to now as a coach. His answer revealed major discrepancies.
“When I got to the league, you play a game. The next day, you’ve got an hour and a half, two-hour practice taped. You’re live contact, body on body, getting better every day,” Lue said.
Surprisingly, teams no longer follow that recipe in an effort to avoid injuries. Practice has essentially lost its meaning, he claims.
“Now practice is going to be a walk-through,” Lue explained. “You’re going to have no contact. Guys are not going to go full speed. You probably got 30-40 minutes because guys had a game the night before.”
Although Lue doesn’t like this new development regarding practice culture, it isn’t as simple for him to revert to old ways. Players have more power than ever before. If the roster as a collective doesn’t agree with the head coach’s methods, they will assert their voices to get them out of the equation. The New York Knicks and Tom Thibodeau are a perfect example.
Players want to ensure their bodies remain in their optimal shape. The belief among players is that less wear and tear is the right answer. Lue doesn’t quite agree with that philosophy.
“I think you had to train your body [to avoid injuries],” Lue said. During Lue’s playing days, injuries weren’t as common as they are today. The work they put on their body certainly played a part in his opinion.
Regardless, many different elements need to be taken into consideration when it comes to injury development. Players enter the league with much more mileage due to AAU and grassroots basketball, among other reasons. Nevertheless, a solution to find a common ground for practice could solve the problem which Lue sees in the current NBA.
