Do NBA Cup Champions Deserve an Automatic Playoff Spots? In-Season Tournament Success May Soon Directly Get Teams League’s Most Coveted Spots

Every single player from the Los Angeles Lakers team will get $500,000 as prize money for bagging the 2-23 NBA In-Season tournament championship. But a bigger prize is just on the horizon. Per ESPN, the NBA can look to guarantee future IST champions a playoff spot.

While every single team would love to make it straight to playoffs, IST as a trend will act as a nice backup plan, eventually giving the tournament some added value. At the same time, considering giving a team a spot in the play offs can be a nice incentive, it still does not rid itself of the drawbacks and criticism. Let’s take a look at what it entails and what is the buzz around it.

In-season tournament and the playoff berth

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps recently revealed that the winner of the In-Season tournament could get a place in the playoffs. The winner could get the seventh seed in the competition where teams participate based on the regular season standings. He said that getting the sixth spot was debated, but the seventh spot is more likely.

He said,  “While a top-six berth was universally seen as a bridge too far among league insiders spoken to by ESPN, one idea that had more support was guaranteeing the winner of the tournament at least the seventh spot, meaning they would get two home games to earn their way into the playoffs.”

In the NBA playoffs, the top seven teams from each conference battle. The entry to the competition is based on the winning percentage. Bringing the In-Season tournament together with the playoffs is meant to give impetus to the former. However, its pros and cons have initiated a lively debate in the NBA world.

The In-Season playoff debate

While there are supporters of the idea, there are fierce critics. The Milwaukee Bucks star is not in favor of the idea. He opined that many things can change from the time of the In-Season tournament to the time playoffs are conducted. Myles Turner voiced a similar concern. He argued that in case of a tie-break between the teams, the In-Season champion would get an automatic ad advantage.

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And what is the official position of the NBA on the same? The Vice President of Basketball Analytics and Strategy Evan Wasch conceded that some teams demand team incentives besides monetary ones. However, he revealed that some teams are critical of the idea. He shared that the decision will be taken after the options are correctly weighed.

What do you think about what should be in-season’s role in the playoffs? Let us know in the comments.

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