Why The NBA Should Avoid A Lockout By Any Means Necessary

The NBA is in a great place. Not only is the league seeing an increased level of global interest, the actual on-court product has never been better in terms of pure quality.

Over the past decade, teams have pivoted away from selecting high-flying prospects, who were better athletes than basketball players. Instead, they’ve been prioritizing fundamentals and high degrees of skill in players coming out of college, or coming over after playing internationally.

The result is a league that’s full of smarter players, who thinks the game out at a more advanced level, and offer teams tremendous flexibility.

Unlocked players means a better product

The big brains running NBA franchises have unearthed the benefits of having players who can play multiple positions, and allowing them the freedom to do so, instead of being labeled a “tweener”. No one is truly stuck between positions anymore, which has further opened the game up for smaller guards and 6’8 wings, who in the past were either shoehorned into positions that didn’t fit them, or never got a chance to begin with.

Case in point: DeMar DeRozan and Harrison Barnes.

DeRozan came into the NBA as a slashing shooting guard, and now plays 81% of his minutes at power forward, and even 8% at center. Back in 2009, when he was drafted, that projection would have seemed laughable.

Barnes came in viewed as an exclusive small forward, but due to Golden State’s willingness to go small, a window opened that allowed NBA decision makers to peek in and realize Barnes wouldn’t have to be forced into a sole position. Now, 10 years into his career, Barnes has played 55% of his career minutes at the bigger forward spot, and carved out a career as a versatile combo forward who can tailor his position to the personnel around him.

Essentially, NBA teams have found a way to get the most out of their players, and the league has benefitted greatly from the increasing quality of play.

Why is all of this important, you may wonder?

For a few years now, there has been a potential lockout lurking. Primarily, the fear of a lockout stems from the evolution of player empowerment, which has drastically altered how teams construct their roster, not always to the benefit of other teams.

While the player empowerment discussion is extremely important for the continued success of the NBA, let’s set that aside for now, and look at something that’s equally important in this discussion.

Would the league and players really dare enter a lockout when the actual basketball product is at an all-time high, which they can easily leverage into bigger TV deals and more global interest?

While we won’t know the answer to that question for a while, logically they should do everything within their power to avoid any work stoppage.

There’s a benefit from avoiding work stoppage

With the MVP having been won by Europeans the past four seasons, and the upcoming EuroBasket Tournament setting out to have the biggest stars count on European soil since the Dream Team in 1992, the league is on the verge of taking yet another major step towards mainstream popularity in Europe, and around the world.

The world seems primed to open their arms in order to welcome the NBA in, which should logically discourage any wish for a work stoppage.

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets seemingly agrees with that, as he argued on Twitter on Tuesday that he didn’t “see [a lockout] happening“.

While the star did insinuate that a lockout could still happen, he did say the league was “in a great place“, which seems to align with where the NBA is these days.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in earnings, numbers, and measurements of success. The NBA is an entertainment product after all, so tracking and data are necessary tools for the league to track their progress. However, for the fans, who foot the bill, being able to enjoy the golden age of basketball needs to be an added element that the NBA and NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) take to the negotiation table. They’re sitting on a unique opportunity to utilize the quality of the game as a major selling proposition to fans and interested television partners.

Daring to risk that movement, and undermine the on-court product, for a slightly bigger piece of the, pie could be risky, and would unquestionably send a poor message to the millions of fans who are tuning in worldwide.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.