The National Basketball Association’s Developmental League (NBDL) is the testing ground for teams to examine the talent of players and assess whether they translate well to the professional level. But the NBDL can also serve as a foundation for technological developments to be put on display.
The prime reason the D-League is an effective platform for technological experiments is lack of exposure. If certain implementations fail miserably, innovators can learn and move on to the next, whereas anything on the NBA level receives intense and meticulous scrutiny.
For example, during this past preseason, the NBA opted to trial-run a game in which the quarters were shortened from 12 minutes to 10. This decision engendered widespread debate on major television networks such as ESPN. Major programs such as SportsCenter, First Take, and several others publicly discussed the game and potential ramifications if the rule change became permanent. The D-League has generated a few new rules of its own, but, conversely, received little, if any attention, while being able to test the impacts of these new rules on the flow of the game.
The most significant change the NBDL is testing deals with late game scenarios. In efforts to create more dramatic endings to games, the league plans on slightly modifying the last two minutes of the 4th quarter and overtime of competition. Currently, teams can now advance the ball to half court in the final two minutes without coughing up one of their valuable timeouts. Once a team re-gains possession, members simply point to the sideline indicating they would like to advance the ball. The process is relatively quick, as substitutions can take place, but there can be no communication between players and coaches.
Other potential amendments to the rules include a reduction in the number of timeouts, a prohibition on consecutive timeouts late in games, and more tolerant international shot-interference rules. It is imperative to note that on the developmental level, there will be little, if any, awareness of this rule; however, if it proves successful, it could gain mass publicity as soon as next season.
If the NBDL has this much success trying out rule changes, it would be the ideal place for technological experiments, particularly for big data wearables. Earlier this year, the NBA announced that via the developmental league, it would introduce several wearables that could potentially revolutionize the monitoring methods for trainers. Using a small disc, players attach a device that weighs a mere one ounce to the inside of their jerseys. The choice lies with the individual player as to whether he wants the device placed on his chest, back, or between his shoulder blades. Each team chooses between three different athlete-tracking companies: STAT Sport, Zephyr, and Catapult.
Once securely placed on the player, the device precisely measures different physiological features, such as health, fatigue, and heart rate, along with other components. Advocates note that this will immensely help coaches in their personnel decisions, particularly in late game and late season situations when exhaustion presents itself. Though it shows toughness, that on many occasions is contagious and passed along to fellow teammates, players who play through pain and rarely complain about bodily ailments can act to the detriment of the team. New wearables can provide information to the teams’ doctors, informing them about who needs a rest and who is hurt, along with the most suitable substitute that should be the replacement. It also will allow coaches to more prudently plan their practices to make sure players stay fresh.
When fully employed on the professional level, more NBA coaches may opt to take the Gregg Popovich approach and rest their star players more often, in essence, becoming focused more on winning than on individual statistics.