OKC Thunder: In-Season tourny could be highlight of tanking season

This past postseason the NBA held a play-in tournament to determine the final four playoff berths. The OKC Thunder skipped having to participate in Orlando and were not in the mix of teams vying to participate in 2021.

It was the second consecutive season the League elected to utilize this method to add more competitiveness and hype heading into the postseason. The inaugural play-in tournament from the Disney bubble underwent some tweaks in 2021.

In this second installment, the teams who finished ranked seventh through 10th from both conferences participated to determine the final four playoff teams.

With the success of this revamped process and the tweaks to the All-Star Game the League and Board of Governors are looking to add even more creative aspects to their calendar.

Mid-season tournament could be the highlight of OKC Thunder tanking season

To that end, the Board of Governors Competition Committee discussed the potential for a mid-season tournament. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium updated the Committee were revisiting this idea with the potential for $1 million (per player) prize money.

The concept is meant to add some excitement to the middle of the regular season calendar and borrows from a similar tournament the European clubs’ conduct.

Superstars and the top-tier teams haven’t exactly been overly exuberant about the prospect of participating in this type of event.  Many of the stars want to be involved in All-Star weekend but it was only a few seasons back that LeBron James cited the need for more rest for the superstars and the break was extended.

So how this tournament would affect the schedule will be a major consideration. It wouldn’t be surprising if the top teams bowed out early just to get the extra rest.

Conversely, for teams like the OKC Thunder, this type of tournament could offer several benefits. A tanking team needs to compile losses which can take a toll on the player’s psyche. Losing isn’t fun and knowing that’s the priority is a tough ask for a young star of the caliber of cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

For the Canadian gaining some extra exposure particularly National coverage might be something for him to get excited about. While that might sound like a small thing with only four games scheduled to be on NBA TV this season and one on ESPN (in preseason) getting extra exposure to a wider audience is important particularly to build brand recognition.

Mark Daigneault could go off-script during a tournament of this nature and throw tanking out the window for its duration.  For the players who are primarily youngsters on smaller contracts the $1 million prize potential would also be appealing.

And finally, for the fan base, it would be an opportunity to cheer for a game where the outcome matters. No, it’s not the playoffs but this type of event could whet the appetites of what is likely to be a long absence from the postseason.