Wednesday’s announcement by the NBA concerning the completion of the 2019-20 season has Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard clearly thrilled about getting back on the court.
All NBA teams have been sidelined by the league’s suspension of play on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the time of that decision, there was no guarantee that the league would complete the current campaign.
Leonard and the Heat were among the most disappointed by the stoppage of play, considering that the Heat had the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference with a 41-24 record.
The restart is set to begin on July 31, which gives the Heat and the remaining 21 teams in contention plenty of time to get back in sync.
Some of the major differences with this resumption of play includes the centralized environment, where all teams will be playing at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. In addition, there will be no fans in attendance as well as safety protocols put in place for all involved in the games, especially the players.
The expectation of the NBA season extending into October obviously affects the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign, which figures to be shortened to accommodate that late start.
Exactly where Leonard will be next season is unknown, since he will become a free agent at the end of this season. However, Leonard is more focused on the near future than what lies ahead next year.