Major change in the CBA! Game time reduced by 8 minutes! Coach Djordjevic's proposal has come true!

Because of the National Games schedule, the CBA’s new season will only begin on December 12th and finish on April 24th of the following year.

The regular season includes 42 rounds, with the opener between Guangsha and Shanxi.

Following the same rules as before, the 20 teams from last season were divided into groups according to a serpentine ranking method. Each team faces their group rivals three times and non-group opponents twice.

Group A: Guangsha, Beijing Royal Fighters, Shandong, Tianjin, Ningbo; Group B: Beijing, Qingdao, Zhejiang, Guangzhou, Fujian.

Group C: Shanxi, Guangdong, Shanghai, Jilin, Sichuan; Group D: Liaoning, Xinjiang, Tongxi, Shenzhen, Jiangsu.

Today, let’s discuss a topic about our own league.

According to insider Zhao, the CBA will implement a major change next season: each quarter will be shortened to 10 minutes.

Reducing the total game time from 48 to 40 minutes is indeed a significant rule change.

Naturally, the foul limit will also change from six fouls to five.

In fact, Coach Djordjevic had previously suggested shortening each quarter from 12 minutes to 10 to fully align the CBA with FIBA regulations.

This proposal aims to help Chinese players better adapt to the pace of international competitions and improve the national team's competitiveness.

His reasoning is that in a 40-minute basketball game, there is no room for mistakes, bad decisions, or poor shot selection; if you want to win, there is zero margin for error.

Countries like France, Spain, the EuroLeague, Greece, Italy, and Serbia all play 40-minute games.

The NBA plays 48 minutes because they have a deep talent pool.

Simply put, the goal is to match the FIBA game duration.

Now, Coach Djordjevic’s idea is very likely to be implemented.

So, what’s Emperor Di’s take on this?

The CBA definitely needs some adjustments in its format and rules.

For example, can game scheduling be improved so that popular matches don’t overlap, similar to the NBA?

For instance, can Guangdong and Liaoning games be scheduled at 7 PM and 8 PM respectively?

There are only so many quality games in the league, and since it’s a commercial league, maximizing viewership should be a priority.

After all, not all fans can watch TV while using their phones simultaneously...

As for which game length is better, our evaluation criteria are too simplistic.

Actually, it depends on the national team’s performance...

Poor national team results are the root cause of many issues.

If China’s men’s basketball team performs well in 2027 and qualifies for the Los Angeles Olympics, there will surely be many praising the “40-minute CBA.”

If they fail again in a major tournament, many “experts” will argue that the CBA needs 48 minutes to give domestic and young players more playing time...

This is similar to the foreign player policy—both sides have valid points, but if the national team struggles, the CBA as a commercial league often takes the blame.

What are the drawbacks?Frequent policy changes make things unstable.

What if one day FIBA switches to 48-minute games? What will we do then?

If—just if—that happens.

If the purpose of 48-minute games is to give domestic and young players more opportunities, that’s unnecessary.

In competitive sports, opportunities aren’t handed out; they are earned through effort.

Why is Chinese table tennis so dominant? Because players fiercely compete for limited spots.

The NBA is the same—no “parental” management, no physical tests; if you can play, you play; if not, you’re out. The G League and US college basketball have plenty waiting for their chance.

This is a key factor behind their long-lasting success.

If you don’t train hard and can’t outperform teammates in practice, you have to accept the cold reality of no playing time.

Will shortening CBA games to 40 minutes make teams more competitive?

That’s a big question mark.

After all, some players might just coast since they won’t get much playing time anyway...

For some players, a 40-minute game might just mean finishing earlier and having time for a late-night snack.

How much more “FIBA-style” or intense will the pace really become with 40-minute games?

I’m pessimistic about this.

From the current situation, one hard-to-change fact is that every CBA team heavily relies on foreign players.

Foreign players often dominate the ball while domestic players watch from the sidelines—this is the norm.

Players holding the ball too long, taking extra time to decide, slow offensive starts—these are common issues.

Therefore, the fundamental factor for improving the league is having outstanding talent.

Overall, the CBA player level has declined compared to over a decade ago.

Isn’t Yang Hansen doing well in the CBA? He was the best defensive player.

Yet he ended up going to the NBA...