Adam Silver Interested in Adding Tournament-Style Features to NBA Playoffs

In an industry that is constantly evolving such as sport business, it becomes necessary to prioritize innovation to maintain or increase the value of a brand. Basketball is a business, and no one knows that like NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

With this in mind, Silver has fiddled with the idea of adding tournament-style play to the NBA both during and at the end of the season.

According to Silver, these tournaments would be used to determine the seeding of the NBA playoffs for lower-tier seeds. While the feasibility of this idea from a basketball operations standpoint has yet to be determined, it could work wonders for fan engagement. Adam Silver briefly touched on this point when he stated the following:

"I'm looking at things from a fan standpoint,” Silver said. “I’m looking at how to create the most exciting season and experience, especially in a rapidly changing media market where fans are in essence voting every day whether they want to watch your product.

- Adam Silver

The notion of a mid-season tournament is intriguing. Silver said that this tournament would likely take place during All-Star Weekend, adding some much needed excitement to the league's entertainment efforts. Ratings have been falling over the past several years as the NBA All-Star Game has featured more and more lackadaisical defense, and the league must do something to drive those numbers back up.

Should his plans come into effect, the NBA landscape could look a lot different in the near future.