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I am interested in the typical daily and weekly training schedules of an NBA team (or any other professional sport team) during the season. I did some research, but this seems not too easy to find. I don't necessarily want to know every detail (as this is probably not something teams and coaches will reveal), but I'm very interested in some rough numbers:

  • How many hours of training does a basketball player in the NBA have per day/week?
  • How much of it are individual workouts and how much is team practice?
  • How much is athletics training compared to basketball sessions?
  • How much tactics and video sessions do teams have?
  • How is the training integrated into the tight 82 games schedule with two to three games every week.
  • How high is the intensity (also compared to the off-season)?
  • How does recovery look like? What treatments are done and when (after games, after practices, both)?
  • How big are the differences for the above between players?
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  • I think this is all over the place. I did see a special on KD and LOVED that his trainer had him squatting 4 times a week (usually after games). Trying to teach young athletes and often bball players it was good to see one of the best players in the world doing the most important lift.
    – Coach-D
    Jan 24, 2016 at 19:03
  • If it's all over the place, can you point me to some sources? There are a ton of good articles and documentaries, which provide some insight and obviously they are very interesting. However, I'm looking for a complete programme (or a summary of one) or at least something more detailed.
    – martin
    Jan 25, 2016 at 18:11
  • I have just seen things on NBA TV nothing I have read. You would have just as much luck googling things as I would.
    – Coach-D
    Jan 25, 2016 at 18:13
  • The point is, I tried googling (obviously), but without much success. My hope was someone here could provide a different source. That's why I asked the question.
    – martin
    Jan 25, 2016 at 18:25
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    It's a good question. Too bad others don't see it that way. Really interested in what the response to this might be.
    – Citizen
    Jan 26, 2016 at 2:27

1 Answer 1

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It is dependent on the player: skill level, mindset, contract, and particularly age. A lot of young players, in less organized franchises, have varying routines. Some older players (JJ Redick, Kyle Korver types) prefer shorter, high intensity workouts.

In terms of practice this is the most varied according to the coach. Coaches like Stan Van Gundy, Tom Thibedeau, and Steve Clifford are known for intense practices and shoot-arounds while Brad Stevens prefers lighter practices. A lot of players get in a few hours of work: shooting with player development coaches, lifting, and taking care of their bodies both before practices/games and after practices.

A few good sources: JJ Redick's podcast on the Vertical (Yahoo), Brian Zormelo's bestballanalytics.com (KD's trainer), Accelerate sports (works with the Warriors during the season and the off-season), a great piece (can't find right now) from Grantland on Spurs' shooting coach Chip England. It is difficult to find anything that will tell you about all players because it varies to their ability, motivation, age, and team but I hope this will help you get a glimpse of some details. Ultimately, in your searches, find anything that comes from player development staff or players themselves because they will do the best job alerting you to their personal routines.

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