5 NBA stars, including Anthony Davis, who will be most affected by NBA’s new resting policy
On Monday afternoon, news broke that could change the NBA landscape. A vote will soon be held on the rules about resting players. If it passes, it could be the beginning of the end for the "load management era."
Load managment has become a big topic in the NBA in recent years. Stars constantly resting during the regular season has become a glaring issues. Sitting out a night or two throughout the year isn't a problem, but some have taken it to extremes.
Changing to these rules won't mean much to most players, but here are a handful that will be heavily impacted.
5 NBA stars who will be impacted by new potential resting policy:
5) Joel Embiid
Starting this list is reigning MVP Joel Embiid. While the All-Star center continues to increase his games played, he is still someone who could be affected by this rule change.
Embiid has played in 60+ games each of the last two seasons, but still battles the injury bug at times. Not being able to rest as much could hurt the Philadelphia 76ers' chance of getting him to the postseason healthy.
4) Anthony Davis
Next up is another star big man in the NBA who struggles to stay on the court. Anthony Davis is a player who will certainly be affected by this rule change if it goes through.
Since joining the LA Lakers, Davis has only played in more than 60 games once. As one of the most injury prone players in the league right now, not being able to rest as much could be a big challenge for the eight-time All-Star.
3) Zion Williamson
Since being drafted first overall in 2019, Zion Williamson has only appeared in 114 NBA games. Moving forward, he might need to brace himself to be a common fixture in the lineup for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Staying healthy has been an issue for Zion through his first four years in the league. Not being able to rest as much will force him to put an even bigger focus on his body.
2) Paul George
No team will be impacted more by this rule change than the LA Clippers. They have not one but two stars who have benefited from load management. One of them being Paul George.
Over the past five years, George has played in more than 56 games once. This has left many fans and analysts wanting more as the Clippers are constantly in the conversation to contend for a title.
1) Kawhi Leonard
Arguably the main reason why load management has become a big topic in pro basketball is because of Kawhi Leonard. Dating back to his time with the San Antonio Spurs, the two-time Finals MVP has taken complete advantage of resting.
The last time Leonard missed less than 20 games in a season was 2017. If these changes are implemented, nobody will be impacted more than him. This will be something to watch with Leonard moving forward as he continues to heal from a meniscus injury suffered in last year's playoffs.