Mikal Bridges gives his opinion on load management for NBA players

Load management has continued to be a hot topic in the NBA world.

© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Load management has entered the NBA discourse again due to the controversy surrounding the league’s new 65-game limit for end-of-season awards. Some people feel the new rule makes players more desperate to play games. They do that rather than taking a break because they value winning awards.

The Brooklyn Nets and the NBA’s resident ‘Iron Man’ Mikal Bridges had his say when he visited Carmelo Anthony on the legend’s podcast.

“People always ask me about the load management because I don’t miss a game. I’m like, listen I’m on both sides. Somebody comes off of injuries, and like there’s no need. I get the fans to get upset, they might have traveled,” Mikal said on Melo’s 7 PM in Brooklyn show. “At the end of the day, we care about y’all, but we have to look out for what’s best for us.”

Players don’t want to keep missing games

Some people have the misconception that players are purposely missing games because they just don’t want to play. That is not the case for most players because they want to play, but the organization and the medical staff prevent them from doing so.

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has the same sentiment and states that players are not deciding to keep sitting out games.

“I usually campaign to play every game. That’s the misconception about load management and how it goes. It’s never the player that is usually saying, ‘Hey, I want to sit,’” Steph said in a 2023 interview.

A durable player like Mikal’s opinion matters

Bridges has not missed a game in his NBA career, but he’s not like other players in the league. Some players have to sit out games because they have more fragile bodies than Mikal.

Even so, the former Villanova wing understands what other players are going through; he wants the players to avoid the harsh criticism they receive about load management.

Organizations must be held accountable because fans want to see the best players on the floor. The players should not get the brunt of every criticism because they want to play and help their teams win and succeed.

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