An article detailing the NBA's "toughest" rotation policy: veterans like Zhan Huang have a privilege 11% of players affected

Beijing time on September 14, the NBA unanimously voted to approve stricter rest policy regulations, as well as penalties for star players absent from games (including nationally televised games and tournaments in the season) and multiple All-Star players missing the regular season together.

The rule will eventually give league offices greater oversight of absent games and be able to fine teams that violate rest rules more than $1 million per time, the sources said.

Here's what the new rules look like:

1. No more than one star player can be suspended in the same match

For example, a team like the Boston Celtics must ensure that Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum is available in every game. Unless both players are confirmed to be injured, the Celtics are not allowed to rest two players at the same time in the same game. Last season, Brown missed 15 games and Tatum missed eight, but the two of them missed only twice in the same game (one was in the regular-season finale).

2. Teams must ensure that star players are able to participate in nationally televised matches and season tournaments.

For example, the Phoenix Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers on November 21 and the Golden State Warriors the following night. Devin Booker was not allowed to miss the game against the Warriors due to a break because it was nationally televised.

3. The number of home and away games missed by star players must be balanced, and these absences are best taken at home.

Last season, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all played in the Dec. 5 home loss to the Indiana Pacers and then rested in the road loss to the Utah Jazz two days later. Under the new rules, the Golden State Warriors would be investigated in this case and will most likely be fined.

4. The team must avoid any situation that keeps the player out of the game or almost does not play.

The Washington Wizards took turns with Bradley Beal in their final 10 games last season, which the team called knee pain. Under the new rules, the Washington Wizards will be investigated by the NBA for possible violations of the rest policy. The same was true for Damian Lillard, who was sidelined for his last 11 games with the Trail Blazers due to a pain in his right calf, at a time when the Blazers were out of the playoffs. This is not allowed in the new season.

5. The team must ensure that the players who are resting during the game are present and visible to the fans.

This is nothing new, it was stipulated in the PRP in 2017.

If a team violates any of the above, it will be fined $100,000 for the first violation, $250,000 for the second violation, and $1.25 million for the third violation. After the third violation, the team will be fined $1 million more than before.

NBA officials said that the player participation policy is the principle that the NBA, the National Basketball Players Association, and individual players and teams want to "return to the principle that this is an 82-game league."

As the league negotiates new media rights deals, the NBA has been determined to increase player engagement. The league aims to strengthen the players' rest policy originally adopted in the 2017-18 season, as well as new rules that stipulate players must play 65 regular-season games to qualify for playoff awards.

"I think we'll articulate that principle, see how the teams react, see if more needs to be done," Mr. Xiao said after the New York meeting. "But I think the most important thing is that there are different constituent groups in the league who think that we play ultimately for the fans, but we've gone too far before.

"I mean, it's important to admit that reality is a bit far from what we started to play, especially when you see young, healthy players resting. This can be more mindful in the league than the rest you absolutely need — or, as an NBA player, where rest on certain days is just part of that — and that's exactly what we're trying to discard. "

Among the new rules, the most affected are the group of star players. To that end, the NBA categorizes players, defined as players who have been selected to an All-Star or All-NBA roster in any of the previous three seasons.

At this stage, a total of 25 teams and 50 players in the NBA (nearly 11% of the league's total population) are affected by the new rules. Fifteen of the teams have players who have been selected to the All-Star or All-Star Game in the last three seasons. From the 2023-24 season, it is possible that the list of affected players will change after the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

The league says fines are not the end and that they will continue to use big data and scientific research on injuries and how much rest players need.

"We're trying to deal with some of the worst examples," Xiao said. "Let's say multiple star players are healthy but absent on the same night. We do this to disappoint the fans and we disappoint our partners."

"We were explaining the principles of the 82 league and saying let's work together. I think in the last two days, both the players' association, the individual players and our team have acknowledged that this is a problem and a problem for the fans. Therefore, we have unanimously adopted this policy".

The Alliance's memorandum on these changes describes these aspects of the new policy. Enforcement will be based on the Union Office's investigation, which includes an independent medical review.

However, the NBA details several exceptions where teams can apply for approval of star players to miss back-to-back games.

The NBA will allow pre-approved designated back-to-back break exceptions for players who turn 35 on the night of the opening game or who play 34,000 career regular-season minutes or 1,000 regular-season and playoff games combined, the sources said.

Star players who fall into this category include Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, and James Harden.

If a team believes that a star player is unable to play back-to-back games, it must provide the NBA with written materials at least one week in advance explaining the reasons for the restriction on that player's participation.

The league also said teams can apply for star players to be unavailable in one of the back-to-back games based on a player's previous injury history or unusual injury history.

In that case, the Clippers could request to miss Leonard from the October 31 game against the Orlando Magic, the night before the Clippers' game against the Lakers (the game was broadcast nationwide). Leonard tore his left knee meniscus during the playoffs and underwent surgery in the offseason.

Other exceptions include: missing multiple games due to genuine injuries; personal reasons; rare and unusual cases; Roster management for star players who cannot play and end-of-season flexibility.