The Best Teams In The NBA Rest Their Star Players

Resting players is one of the many keys to success in the modern NBA.

There are lots of statistics that indicate that the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors are the best two basketball teams in the world right now. Some are simple, some advanced.

There might be another statistic that demonstrates how good those teams are, one that flies completely under the radar. Minutes played per game, and total minutes played.

No members of the Spurs or Warriors are in the top 20 of either statistic. The stars of those teams, Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Curry, play just 32.6 and 33.9 minutes per game, respectively.

Curry ranks 33rd in the NBA in minutes per game, while Leonard is outside of the top 50. Those two are pretty easily two of the five or so best players in the NBA, and neither of them play 34 minutes per game. That’s unusual, as far as the rest of the NBA is concerned.

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Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, John Wall, Anthony Davis, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony all play at least 35 minutes per game.

So what’s the big deal about a minute or two more per game? Does that little of a change really make a difference at the NBA level?

Likely, yes. The Spurs and Warriors were two of the sharpest looking teams in the playoffs last season. It’s no coincidence that a workhorse like Harden collapsed in the Western Conference Finals, while Curry and the Warriors were able to keep on chugging.

It’s also not a coincidence that those two teams have remained largely healthy over the past two seasons. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker will get a lot of games off to rest, but when the playoffs come around those three are typically ready to go.

That’s thanks to Gregg Popovich resting them all over the years. It’s not just recently that those three have had minutes limits placed on them. Parker never played more than 34.4 minutes per game in a season, and he only hit 34 minutes per game three times in his 14-year NBA career.

Ginobili has only hit 30 minutes per game in a season twice in his 13-year career with the Spurs. And Duncan used to play a ton of minutes when he was young, but he’s hit 34 minutes per game in a season just three times since 2004-05. Duncan hasn’t hit that 34 minute mark since 2007-08.

So although San Antonio is often seen as this mysterious, exotic franchise that somehow has a hidden fountain of youth, the truth might be far simpler. The Spurs take great care of their players, treat them right both on and off the court, and they don’t push them too far.

Popovich understands that players will be able to have long, productive careers if they don’t get overworked early. The Spurs could potentially be a few wins better this season if they played Kawhi Leonard 37 minutes per game, but they don’t see that as worthwhile.

Kawhi Leonard leads the Spurs in minutes per game, with LaMarcus Aldridge coming in second at 30 minutes per game. San Antonio gets a lot of players involved, without overworking any of them.

The Warriors have adapted the same mindset. Draymond Green leads Golden State in minutes per game, at 34.5. Curry is second on the team.

Last season the Warriors played even less minutes per game. Curry lead the team in 2015, despite playing just 32.7 minutes per game. Steve Kerr learned the benefits of resting players firsthand during his year with the Spurs in 2003.

It was fairly common to see Golden State’s health attributed to luck last season, but rest likely played at least as much of a role in Curry and company staying fresh all year.

It’s easier to rest star players when a team is stocked with more talent. Even teams with just a few good players could benefit from more rest, though. Jimmy Butler adds a lot to Chicago in his nearly 38 minutes per game, but he isn’t helping at all when he’s unable to play thanks to injuries.

There’s no question that the 30-30 Chicago Bulls would prefer Butler to play almost every game, even if his minutes had to be cut. The Bulls are 4-8 when Butler sits, and 6-3 when he plays less than 35 minutes per game.

Considering Chicago went 5-6 in games where Butler played more than 40 minutes per game, the Bulls probably wish they had thought to rest him in a few more games this season.

Allowing Butler to put that much strain on his body in the regular season is pointless, because of both the long-term effects and Chicago’s sub-.500 record in games where he surpasses the 40 minute mark.

The teams that follow the model set by Golden State and San Antonio will be the next to rise as powerhouses in the NBA. The other squads will continue to run out of gas when the stakes are at their highest, thanks to overworking their star players.