Do Pre-season Stats Count in the NBA? | Answered!

Unless you are a die-hard basketball fan the NBA pre-season isn’t anything to get too excited about. But it is a good feeling to be reminded that the regular season is about to begin. When it comes to statistics in the NBA do they count the Pre-season stats?

Do pre-season NBA games and stats count towards the regular season? NBA teams will play 3 to 6 games during the pre-season, wins, and stats do not carry over to the regular season. The pre-season is used for teams to make final cuts and for players to get back to getting into game shape after a long layoff.

Pre-season basketball is different from summer league and the regular NBA season. While the pre-season doesn’t mean anything it is actually important for teams to get back into NBA mode.

 

 

What is the NBA pre-season?

The NBA pre-season takes place a month prior to the regular NBA season, usually in the month of October but sometimes it will start in September also.

A team will play up to 3 to 6 games prior to the regular season starting at the beginning of October. Some teams even travel to Europe or China to play exhibition games against teams in those regions.

The pre-season does not have a championship game or individual awards for its players and teams.

Think of the NBA Pre-season as a warmup to the NBA regular season, while the NBA Playoffs would have ended 4 months prior to this, it can be quite a long layoff.

The Pre-season work on getting players back into basketball mode. For some players who are rookies and those trying out for a team, this is where a coach can gauge a player’s potential.

Many fans love to get a glimpse of the top NBA draft picks, most fans will tune in just to see those players play.

Why is there a need for a pre-season?

This is where teams who had the summer off will get back into playing shape and build team chemistry prior to the season starting.

With the addition of new draft picks and recruits for an NBA squad, this is where coaches will finalize their teams by cutting any players that they see don’t accommodate their team.

Some players are on the cusp of being cut from the team while other players are just trying to knock off the dust from a layoff in the offseason.

Star players play limited minutes during the pre-season as the regular season is a very long grind. Some players will play no games while others will play a couple.

Coaches can focus on what players bring to the table, while winning is not as important as getting the team ready for the regular season.

Do individual stats count towards the regular season?

As we already discussed individual stats do not count towards the regular season, it is only now that the NBA is even keeping track of pre-season statistics for a player and team.

These statistics do not count towards regular season stats for a player. Meaning a player who scores has 30,000 career points in the NBA, those points that the player scored from the NBA pre-season are not counted toward their 30,000. Sorry, Lebron! 

Does the NBA keep track of preseason season stats and standings?

There are standings but very little stock or effort is placed in trying to win and be at the top in the number one position.

There is no correlation between a team that plays 5 games in the pre-season and wins every game and being the best team in the pre-season and the regular season.

There are pre-season stats in which you can see how much a player is averaging, and only recently has the NBA decided to keep track of a player’s statistics.

Do games won or lost in the pre-season count?

Games in the pre-season do not count and do not really matter. Obviously, if you are a competitor you will want to win.

Teams aren’t going out there not to win. But coaches are not going to sacrifice their best players to try and win a pre-season game.

No matter how close a game is down to the wire most coaches have a set amount of minutes that they want their superstar players to play.

Any more and they may sacrifice a player to injury.

Are there different rules in the pre-season?

All rules apply in the pre-season as they do in the regular season. The NBA has tinkered with the number of minutes in a pre-season game. 

In 2014, pre-season games were only 44 minutes of game time and in 2020 with they used 10 minute quarters. So it is a possibility that the minutes may be pending change in the foreseeable future.

Where do NBA teams play their pre-season Games?

Most NBA teams will either play away or at home against another NBA team just like in the NBA regular season.

Some teams don’t play a single game at home during the preseason and will only play away games. Other teams will travel to another country to play in.

An example of this is the Houston Rockets who play in Beijing, China. These are called global games, where two NBA teams will travel to China and play an exhibition game there.

Sometimes an NBA team will travel to China to play one of their professional basketball teams in the CBA League.

In years past, shown in the documentary “The Last Dance”, a team like the Chicago Bulls will travel to Europe and play in a mini-tournament which consisted of 4 teams with awards and trophies included.

The Toronto Raptors and the Minnesota Timberwolves would travel to another city other than their own and play an exhibition game.

I got a chance to watch these two teams play in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Basically, it doesn’t have to make any sense where teams will play their exhibition games as long as they can get ready for the regular season by getting a few games in is what matters most.

How long is the preseason?

The NBA pre-season is about a month away from the regular season and around 3 to 4 weeks of games. 

How many games are in the pre-season?

There are usually 3 to 6 games that a team will play prior to the regular season. Most often a team will play back to back against the same team.

Tickets for pre-season games are much cheaper than the regular-season games. This is a great way to get a cheap night out with the family. 

Is there a trophy?

 No, there is no trophy due to the limited amount of games that each team plays. It also isn’t necessary and wouldn’t make sense as there are teams in the NBA that play other teams from leagues around the world.