1 potential upside of the NBA Draft expanding to 2 days
A 2-day NBA Draft isn't the worst thing in the world.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.
The NBA officially announced the expansion of its draft to a two-night format Wednesday, beginning with this year’s NBA Draft on June 26 and 27. The first round will be held on the first day at Barclays Center, and the second round will take place the following day at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios, both in New York City.
We’ve been anticipating this news for some time now, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on the possibility of a two-day draft in November. Fans hated the idea then, and they never really warmed to it when reports earlier this month confirmed it was happening.
The following has been released by the NBA: pic.twitter.com/5uHzIVhVQK
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 31, 2024
I get it. The draft is long enough as is, and much of the excitement around the first round stems from the hyped-up lottery picks who are often discussed ad nauseam for at least a year leading up to the big night. The event loses steam in the second round. So why is the NBA not only giving that round its own day but also giving teams more time to pick in that round?
Well, the length of it all might actually be the point. Last year’s draft was the most-watched draft ever on any network, averaging 3,743,000 viewers across both rounds, according to ESPN. However, the first round averaged 4,928,000 and peaked at 6,085,000, meaning there was a significant drop-off in the second round after viewers likely grew fatigued or disinterested from the hours-long program. According to Sports Media Watch, the second round averaged 1.19 million viewers.
While moving the second round to another day threatens to lose some of that lead-in viewership from the first round, it could also build a new energy and excitement for the round itself and potentially re-capture people who may have otherwise turned away after the first round. Instead of dedicating a whole five hours in one day to the draft, fans only have to dedicate two hours on two separate days.
I’m not sure if that was the intended purpose of expanding the draft for the NBA, but it could end up working to the league’s benefit. People are going to tune in for the first round. If they come back the next day, that’s just a cherry on top.
LeBron James’ cryptic tweets are back
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second straight game Tuesday, falling below .500 on the season at 24-25. They’re firmly entrenched in play-in tournament territory and nothing they’ve showed on the court this season suggests they’ll have an easy time playing their way out of it.
If you’re wondering how LeBron James feels about their subpar showing, he hasn’t been shy answering questions in the locker room. There’s some obvious frustration there. He told reporters Tuesday, the Lakers can “on any given night beat any team in the NBA. And then on any given night we can get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA.”
LeBron James on the 24-25 Lakers: “We could on any given night beat any team in the NBA. And then on any given night we could get our ass kicked” pic.twitter.com/IlKra5XAmy
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2024
He also said his message to his teammates is to just “go out and do your job.” However, things turned more cryptic early Wednesday morning, when he tweeted an hour-glass emoji with absolutely no context, which is a classic LeBron James move when things aren’t going as smoothly as he would like. FTW’s Charles Curtis wrote about all the different things it could mean.
I guess we should also leave open the possibility James’ tweet wasn’t related to basketball at all (yeah, right). Whatever the reason, I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Because if James wants someone in or out of LA, even if that someone is himself, it’s probably going to happen.
Related: 6 ridiculous LeBron James trades, according to Trade Machine
One to Watch
(All odds via BetMGM)
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Mavericks (+600) at Minnesota Timberwolves (-12.5; -900), 8 p.m. ET
As Minnesota’s -900 moneyline odds suggest, this game is not expected to be competitive at all. The reason? Because Dallas isn’t expected to have Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving or Dante Exum — their three leading ball-handlers. They also won’t have Dereck Lively II or Derrick Jones Jr., who both start in the front-court. That’s before we get to a road game against the Timberwolves, who continue to lead the Western Conference. So, yeah, I’m hammering Minnesota to cover 12.5 points with confidence.
Shootaround
— Mike Sykes: The NBA needs to seriously reconsider its 65-game awards rule
— Marc Gasol officially announced his retirement from basketball
That’s it from me y’all. Check back Friday for more Layup Lines.