When does NBA training camp start for the 2021-22 season? Everything we know so far
In just over a month, players and coaching staff will return to team gyms for the NBA training camps in preparation for the 2021-22 campaign which begins on the 19th of October.
NBA training camp is set to start on the 28th of September, three weeks prior to the regular season tipping off. It also comes just five days before preseason games commence, on the opening day of which the Brooklyn Nets will face the LA Lakers.
Let's take a look at what we know so far about NBA training camp and how teams can use it to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
What to expect from the NBA training camp
At the NBA training camp, all players and staff will be present and it is a perfect time for coaches to evaluate their squads and how they can set up for the impending season. They can get a first look at how new acquisitions and rookies will fit into the team and will begin game planning for their opponents early in the campaign calendar.
For players, it is a time to gel and get up to match fitness after a lengthy offseason. Roster additions have a chance to bed in at their new franchise while rookies are better acquainted with the league's media.
Of course, players spend their summers with their own trainers working on aspects of their game to come back stronger in the following season. Teammates hook up to share workout routines or travel across the country to train where they always have. Recent videos have emerged of Ben Simmons practicing his shooting from deep while LeBron James posted a picture on his Instagram of him working out with the LA Lakers' blockbuster signing of the offseason, Russell Westbrook.
However, NBA training camp is the time for teams to properly judge how they might fare this season and discuss areas they need to improve on. Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, players were limited to individual workouts and there were strict restrictions on how many people could be in the gym at any given time. That will all be different this time around with the league intending on a return to its usual schedule of 82 games.