The NBA has established a new rule entering the 2016-17 season, which will allow for teams to view video in real time while sitting on their own bench.
In the past, teams had to wait for live video to be uploaded. With the rule change, teams will pretty much able to access video as it is happening.
Here’s how USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt explained what teams will be able to do now.
The NBA will allow teams to use hard-wired connections from the bench to review and cut video for immediate access, transfer video between bench personnel and the locker rooms and access data rather than have that info delivered from the video room to the bench.
The NBA’s explanation centers around the idea that team trainers will now be able to make more informed decisions on the bench instead of waiting for film to come through, according to a league memo.
“This enhanced file sharing ability will enable coaches, players, athletic trainers and medical staff to make more informed decisions in real time,” NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe wrote in the memo.
“This is a way more efficient way of doing this. Instead of having somebody run it out, it’s available right there in almost real-time,” VanDeWeghe told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s just the next natural step. We have the technology to do it. Teams are excited about it. They make these type of suggestions. We announced it at the coaches’ meeting. They were all in favor of it, and I think it will be great for our players.”
But, as Zillgitt points out, this will definitely lead to teams adjusting at a faster pace than previously. It could also alter how much a video coordinator is relied upon. The NBA was also smart enough to put in a rule so that if one team’s network isn’t working, the other team has to be disconnected until both teams are able to connect to the real-time video (looking at you, New England Patriots).
Things along these lines have been done by some other leagues, including the CFL, and it seems like a smart decision by the NBA. Why wouldn’t we allow teams to make a more informed decision?
