With the playoffs currently underway, this NBA postseason is already turning out to be one to remember.

The No. 8 seed Miami Heat just bested the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in a gentleman’s sweep of five games to one. Which no one even remotely expected.

The No. 7 seed Lakers have gained a 3-2 lead over the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies, with game six back in Crypto Center, where the Lakers look to finish the series.

Why is the above information important?

Simple.

The new regulations of the NBA, i.e., the play-in tournament, are working.

The two aforementioned teams, The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are play-in teams, yet they are thriving against the top teams in their respective conferences.

Teams that fall between Nos. 7-10 seeds are given a fighting chance and a sense of confidence that if they can make the playoffs, they can make some noise.

So what does this mean? The upcoming in-season tournament for the NBA’s 2023-24 season will likely prove successful.

Way back in 2019, NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, mentioned the idea of an in-season tournament. The goal of this tournament is to bring competitiveness to the game early on in the season when most teams generally take it easy.

But this tournament looks to dispel that lack of effort by providing this tournament as an incentive. All 30 teams will participate in pool-play games determining the eight teams advancing to a single-elimination tournament.

The winner of the tournament will be given $7.5 million, which will be split amongst each player of the team, so $500,000 for each player.

This is huge not only for the players but for the league as well. With the success of the play-in, the league has seen some of the best individual performances from players, and viewership has increased.

These playoffs have seen a spike in viewership compared to last year, most notably because of Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry, which has only generated more money for the league.

And with more money, the league will likely continue to view the in-season tournament as a great option for next season.