Players Sound Off on Grueling Regular Season

The 2020-21 regular season featured a condensed schedule, sparsely-populated arenas and strict limitations for players traveling on the road. All of those items were directly tied to the NBA’s effort to put forth an almost-full schedule in the middle of a global pandemic.

Now that the regular season is in the books, a handful of players spoke with Washington Post contributor Candace Buckner about the difficulties that they faced throughout the year. Hawks forward Solomon Hill voiced strong criticism over the NBA’s motivation and handling of the 2020-21 season.

“This season is straight about quantity. It’s not about the quality of play,” said eighth-year veteran Solomon Hill, who plays for the Atlanta Hawks. “It’s kind of like: ‘What are we trying to accomplish here? Are we just trying to finish the season? Are or we really trying to put our best foot forward, our best athletes on the court, and give a quality service to the game?’ And it’s definitely been a lack of that.”

Pistons forward Jerami Grant focused on the NBA’s policy that restricted players to three dining options per city during early-season road trips.

“No comment,” Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant scoffed on the NBA’s dining picks. “Not being able to go to dinner was the toughest thing this year.” It’s those dinners and similar outings, Grant said, that “bring everybody closer.”

Former Blazers wing Kent Bazemore was also featured in the story. You can read the full feature from Buckner at The Washington Post.