The NBA should have a 20-team playoff. Here’s why.

In a best-case scenario, the season will resume late June or early July. There’s no use bringing back teams for a week of regular season who will not make the playoffs anyway. But it’s premature to disqualify teams on the cusp.

Teams have played an average of 64 games thus about 20% of a typical 82 game regular season remains. Historically, there is playoff repositioning that occurs around this time.

Six playoff teams over the last 5 years would not have advanced if their regular season were cut short at this stage.

Take for example the 2017-2018 Jazz who were a 10-seed before winning 14 of their last 18 regular season games. They entered the playoffs as a 5-seed and beat OKC in the first round behind rookie year Donovan Mitchell.

It would be a shame not to give teams a similar opportunity this season. Like the Pelicans who currently sit in 10th but look poised to contend for the playoffs since the return of Zion Williamson.

Teams 7 through 10 in each conference could have a short play-in round. Then the field would be narrowed to 8 as is standard.

It would not be the same, and there may always be an asterisk. But it’s something to look forward to in a time when that is desperately needed.

Let’s hope this get better soon, basketball aside.