NBA players in some areas set to return to training soon

The 2019/20 NBA season has been suspended since March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic and after some players tested positive for the virus. After weeks of lockdown where players were forced into self-isolation, the NBA announced that some players can start training in team facilities starting Friday.

The permission is not an all-encompassing directive. There are many conditions involved. Training must not violate any local government stay-at-home order, and group practices are still not allowed. Teams such as the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, who are located at the epicenter of the worldwide epidemic, are not likely going to allow their players to train.

The order will most likely allow players to train individually and without a personal trainer. It is a small step forward to help players deal with muscle atrophy from the lack of high impact exercise in the past six weeks.

While some players such as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have been training hard in the comfort of their own homes during isolation, not every player is an NBA superstar who can afford to have private home gyms.

Three weeks ago, when the possibility of restarting the season was being discussed by the NBA, coaches and trainers pointed out that players cannot perform at their best and could hurt themselves if they play high impact games immediately after weeks of inactivity. If the 2019-2020 season resumes directly into the playoffs, all games will be considered significant and players are expected to play at their best.

A consensus was formed that players need at least two weeks of body conditioning and retraining before they can play competitive games.

According to NBA.com, some places such as Georgia, Oklahoma, and cities in Florida have begun to loosen restrictions on personal movement in an attempt to return to normalcy. NBA players based in those places can restart their training in anticipation of the league resumption in whatever form it may be. At this point, there is no official announcement if the regular season will be cancelled, and if the competition will go straight to the playoffs. There is still a possibility that the season may be cancelled altogether.