A new directive issued by the NBA could be the first step toward the resumption of play and was something that caught the attention of Los Angeles Lakers veteran Jared Dudley.
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) April 25, 2020
Play in the NBA has been shut down since a league-wide shutdown order was issued on March 11. That move came in the wake of the first identified cases of the coronavirus among NBA players.
While the league has yet to make a final decision on the status of the 2019-20 season, the directive is a potentially positive sign toward getting players back on the court.
However, the uncertainty of exactly which teams would be able to return to practicing is unclear, given the patchwork nature of the stay-at-home orders across the country.
The Lakers are especially eager to return to playing basketball since they were on pace to compete in their first postseason since 2013.
Having previously endured a season of turmoil, which has included key injuries and the shocking death of team legend Kobe Bryant on Jan. 26, the Lakers had compiled a season record of 49-14.
That mark served as the best record in the Western Conference, with the Lakers set to potentially have home-court advantage through the conference championships.
If NBA play does resume, the possibility of a reduced playoff schedule seems apparent, with one virtual certainty being that any games played will take place in facilities with no fans in attendance.
