Don’t expect the NBA restart to be a continuation of what we’ve seen

The NBA’s restart won’t be a continuation of the 2019-20 season

July 31st is the expected return date for the NBA season to restart. We will finally get the closure we deserve after months off. The only problem is, all prior knowledge pre-hiatus should be thrown out.

Now, I’m being more hyperbolic than literal when I say that. Because there is one element that shouldn’t be discounted – team chemistry.

It’s the only element we can look at that is transferable to the NBA restart. A team like the LA Clippers added new pieces, both during the offseason and regular season, with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Reggie Jackson, and Marcus Morris. Add in Leonard’s load management, George and Pat Bev’s injury woes and the result you get is this Clippers team only playing a handful of games together.

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Of 20 possible four-man lineup combinations for the Clippers, the lineup of George, Lou Will, Leonard, and Montrezl Harrell played the least amount of minutes together.

We know the Clippers would have had more time to gel together under normal circumstances, but now after months off with little-to-no training, can we expect them to build that chemistry in eight regular-season games before the grind of the playoffs?

A team like the Los Angeles Lakers will be better suited to compete during the restart. The core of the Lakers is really just LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with all the other role players being interchangeable. That duo played in 53 games together, showing great synergy on the court.

The Lakers were hitting on all cylinders before the season was suspended. Momentum was going there way after back-to-back huge wins against the Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, but not even that matters.

I expect team chemistry to play a factor in how teams compete. The teams who have more experience playing together and are playoff-tested will have an edge. The momentum Lakers had will not play a factor in their success.

The NBA suspended its season on March 11th with the return date of July 31st (143 days). Game 6 of 2019 NBA Finals was June 13th and the 2020 season kicked off on October 22nd (132 days). The layoff from the league’s hiatus is actually 11 days longer than the most recent offseason.

Just let that sink in.

We’ve seen teams after an offseason come back with the same core to have different results the next season. We have even seen it this year.

The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers are two teams who essentially brought back their main cores, but they aren’t the same teams after an offseason. Both teams were in the playoffs last season but now are on the outside looking in.

The combination of a layoff longer than an offseason with team facilities/gyms being closed for the last few months means, means this restart will not be a continuation of the first half of the season.

Players have to get their minds/bodies back into NBA mode as they will only have a short time to gear up for playoffs. I believe we will see the rustiest, lethargic, and chaotic playoff basketball ever. Anything you thought you knew about these teams heading into the playoffs, just throw out.

I’m glad the NBA has been calling this a restart because that’s what it is. We are RESTARTING the season, not continuing it. These teams and players will look dramatically different from what we remember.

The faster we learn not to judge these teams and players based on expectations we previously had for them, the faster we can better appreciate and understand the product we will see.