Early impressions of the In-Season Tournament

The NBA In-Season Tournament resumes with seven games on Friday.

We asked our panel of NBA reporters this week — Ric Bucher, Melissa Rohlin, and Yaron Weitzman — to share their early opinions on the In-Season Tournament and how they’d enhance it for next year.

1. Week 2 of the NBA In-Season Tournament tips off on Friday. What were your first impressions from Week 1?

Weitzman: Because I was a cynic about the whole situation, I’m still in TBD mode. The games were fine, but I don’t think we’ll be able to judge anything until we see how the final rounds in Vegas look and feel.

Rohlin: It doesn’t feel like a competition thus far. This might be the first incarnation of something that will need to be improved in subsequent seasons. The final rounds in Las Vegas will undoubtedly be thrilling and unique. But, for the time being, these games seem like regular-season games in November, which, as we all know, are snooze fests. Perhaps the entire tournament should be cut in half and held in Las Vegas? What if there was a method of instant death? I understand that the goal of all of this is to add excitement to this time of year, but that isn’t happening for me right now.

Bucher: I’ve been entertained by the attempts to hype it up – the commercials with Michael Imperioli and an unusual assortment of NBA players mimicking the “Ocean’s 11” ensemble, and the garish court colors – but without them, I couldn’t tell a tournament game from a regular-season one. I get the impression that the players agree. Steph Curry appeared to mock-celebrate the Warriors’ first tournament win over the Thunder, bouncing up and down in an embrace with Klay Thompson afterward, according to Clippers’ Bones Hyland. I had no notion there was a separate tournament rankings or that each group had only played one game up to this time. If they do hold an in-season tournament, I would make it a fully independent, self-contained portion within the season.

2. It seems the most divisive subject about the NBA In-Season Tournament so far is the courts. What is your opinion of the courts? Do you have a favorite and least-favorite?

Weitzman: Are they hideous? Yes. But that’s sort of the point. We’re all talking about the courts, which means in a way we’re all talking about the in-season tournament. So, mission accomplished.

Rohlin: The funniest part of all this is that people care so much about courts. Who knew? I literally haven’t put a single second into thinking about what the courts look like. And I don’t intend to moving forward.

Bucher: It might be different if I were attending in person, rather than at home watching games on multiple screens, but the courts have not registered beyond hitting my eyeballs the same way Boise State’s blue stadium turf does. I try to keep track of a lot of elements when I’m watching a game – a power ranking of the court colors is not one of them.

3. The winners of the tournament get a cash prize of $500k per player, but players have already made it known that they also want an automatic playoff bid in future editions. Do you support that idea?

Weitzman: That’s too much. It would also lead to so many questions, like: what seed would the winner get? It’s just too complicated. I think cash prize is the way to go, for now, and then we’ll know more after we see what the final round in Vegas looks like.

Rohlin: Playing for a playoff berth would surely make this tournament thrilling. But it would be counterproductive for what the NBA is trying to accomplish. Why? The rest of the winner’s season would be somewhat meaningless, not to mention, how would seeing work? So, that’s out. That said, I don’t think a cash prize is compelling enough, especially for the guys who are earning $40 million a year. There has to be some other incentive. What about a top 10 draft pick? Or even top five?

Bucher: I’m not opposed to upping the prize for the tournament; in fact, I’d prefer something that is a team benefit over cash for the players. But a playoff berth seems a little too out-sized as a dividend. I’d take a deeper dive into what else players covet – being exempt from having to play overseas or their choice of when and where or if they play on Thanksgiving or Christmas? I’m spit-balling. But the playoff-berth idea seems rife with problems. How do you determine seeding? How does it impact the play-in tournament?

4. Which team can you see doing better in the In-Season Tournament than the actual postseason?

Weitzman: It’s the younger playoff-caliber teams, like the Thunder and Timberwolves, who I expect to do well here. They’re sort of in that sweet spot of having enough talent to win games but not too old or jaded to punt on the whole thing. From a comedy perspective, though, I’d love to see the Clippers — one that’s consistently fallen short in the playoffs — win the tournament, just to see what that celebration would look like.

Rohlin: Let’s go with the 76ers. They’re rolling right now with the longest win-streak in the league at six games. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are hungry to prove that they can be champions. They seem poised to do well in the in-season tournament. But whether Embiid can remain healthy come April, May and June is another question entirely, and history has not been on his side.

Bucher: The Warriors, Timberwolves and Mavericks. Having players who are a challenge to prepare for and can go nuclear on any given night is an edge in a March Madness-type, one-and-done format. I’d argue it’s less about the coaches and more about the players in that kind of scenario, whereas in the playoffs it’s more of a coaching chess match in making adjustments from game to game against the same opponent.

5. Is there a team that you can see winning the In-Season Tournament AND the NBA Finals? Do you think that scenario is more likely than not?

Weitzman: The Nuggets are the clear team to beat in the NBA right now, so I don’t see any reason to think they can’t win this tournament either. It’s not that I think Nikola Jokic is desperate to add this trophy to his trophy case, I just don’t think there’s a team that has an answer for him right now.

Rohlin: No because I have the Nuggets winning the championship, but not the in-season tournament. Jamal Murray suffered a hamstring strain that will likely sideline him for the rest of the month. While the Nuggets are unequivocally my favorites to repeat in June, I don’t see them winning the in-season tournament without Murray, or with Murray working his way back from injury.

Bucher: The Nuggets. Right now they look as if they can play their B game and beat anybody in the league. They exude the confidence of a champion and Nikola Jokic looks unstoppable. I picked them to repeat before the season started and the way they’ve looked so far has only strengthened that expectation. Winning the franchise’s first title apparently hasn’t sated them, it has inspired them.