Time of year has a direct influence on how a coach prepares the practice plan. Early in the year teams practice more than later in the year. With an 82 game schedule, rest & recovery is critical. Especially if you are a playoff team. Regardless of the time of year, one thing remains very consistent. Player development. Players that are currently out of the rotation will get significant work in and this is usually organized, tracked and evaluated by the player development coach. Most teams are very sophisticated in their approach and will have benchmarks, goals and/or targets in which they must hit throughout the week/month/season. It is very situational as rotations often change during the season due to injury or opportunities. Coaches must be ready to move on the fly and implement as seamlessly as possible.

Practice plans at the beginning and early part of the season is focused on a lot of spacing/timing/organizational things. Many teams set their defense at the start of the season and have an offense that is established... but also open for adjustments. Defense is also adjustable depending on the team they play and the particular skill set of the players, but typically have a foundation and team rules on the defensive end. Midway and towards the end of the season often leans more on film work, shooting and some small tweaks depending on how things are working or not working at either end. Personnel also has a lot to do with how the rotations are changed throughout the season. Don't get the picture that teams are not going at it in a 5 on 5 setting at the end of the season because they are. Some more than others. Much depends on the health of the team and the schedule in front of them. 82 games plus playoffs is a lot on the body so managing the workload of every player and as a team is essential.

Below is an example of an early season practice plan vs a mid season practice plan.