Will the NBA In-Season Tournament return next season? What could change in future installments?
The NBA’s first In-Season Tournament has come to an end and with that, we’re taking a look at the highs, lows, and of course, what could change in future.
Much in the same way that we witness soccer providing midseason tournaments, the NBA conjured up what has to be considered a success in its inaugural In-Season Tournament. That’s not to say there aren’t some things that could do with a tweak or two, but we’ll get to that. Let’s dive in.
The NBA’s In-Season Tournament was actually quite good
On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions of the NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament following a 123-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers, and with that, the curtain came down on an event that saw teams from the league’s two conferences take on each other in an effort to win a brand new trophy and of course a not too small amount of prize money. Did the league give itself the shot in the arm that it was hoping for? That’s debatable, but what we can definitely say is that it was exciting and yes, there was evidence of greater interest from fans as well as an intensity in the games that were played.
Of course, it will take some time to truly weigh the gains of the NBA’s experiment, but for the moment what we can see is that the league intends to push even further. “The hope is that this becomes a real tent pole in our season,” said Evan Wasch, the NBA’s EVP of basketball strategy and analytics, said earlier this summer. “...And drives significant value for the league in future years.” Where details are concerned, the NBA broadcasts the IST on both TNT and ESPN, its current TV partners, however, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see that change in the future i.e., the league could sell the package to a new platform such as a streaming service for example. Indeed, given the nature of the package on offer, that just seems to make sense. Yet, there are a few other areas that could do with work and that’s what we’re here for. So, let’s get into it.
Competition with the NFL doesn’t make sense
There is no sport in the United States that can compete with the NFL. Whether it’s the two worst teams in the league or the best, football will always take the lion’s share of viewership. Consider for a moment that the first night of quarterfinals in the IST had to contend with a Monday Night Football game, while the semifinal game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers had to deal with a Thursday Night Football clash. One has to believe that to get a better idea of ratings, key games need to be played on nights when viewers don’t have to choose between them and the NFL.
Designate a single night for IST games
Another area of contention seems to be the schedule itself. While we can understand that the league is trying to build something new here, having two game nights per week seems to have been a bit of overkill. Some fans spoke of confusion regarding which games were IST and which weren’t, and that’s before we get to the level of care that they can exhibit if the novelty of a ‘special game’ is lost because there are so many of them. Perhaps this is an area that the NBA can look at in the future as it looks to create an event that fans want to watch.
The prize money should increase
You’re probably thinking, ‘How can paying these guys more make a difference when they already get paid so much?’ On a surface level, that’s a fair question to ask but if we get into the dynamics of events and what makes fans want to watch them, it makes perfect sense. Were the league to increase the prize pool for the winning team significantly, it’s all but certain that we would see both a greater level of interest from fans who want to see which team can get their hands on the cash, while we would also see an increase in intensity and strategy from teams looking to win it all. Yes, it would be fair to say this wouldn’t guarantee anything, but it’s a dynamic we’ve seen work before i.e., people love to watch people competing fiercely for one big fat payday.
The prize shouldn’t just be money
Now, while this may seem contradictory given the previous point about prize money, hear us out. As we’ve also seen in the world of soccer, winning a tournament can often result in the team receiving much more than just a trophy and money. In some cases, clubs can get automatic qualification for other tournaments as well. Could we see a situation where the winning team in the IST is granted an automatic playoff berth, or perhaps even a draft pick? There is no doubt in our minds that such a move would greatly increase how much teams and their fans care about results in the IST. Of course, where the latter is concerned, the immediate debate would revolve around how high that Draft pick could be, but the answer to that question is one we think might be worth discovering.