The NBA implemented a new player participation policy before this 2023-24 season, with one of its key aspects being a 65-game threshold for the major end-of-the-season awards. As a result of that rule, quite a few players are already ineligible for any award, including 20 stars, as per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
– Joel Embiid
– Jimmy Butler
– Draymond Green
– Kyrie Irving
– Ja Morant
– Marcus Smart
– OG Anunoby
– LaMelo Ball
– Bradley Beal
– Kristaps Porzingis
– Zach LaVine
– Darius Garland
– Evan Mobley
– Jamal Murray
– Chris Paul
– Russell Westbrook
– Desmond Bane
– Tyler Herro
– Khris Middleton
– Julius Randle
Four more are at serious risk of joining this group as well.
– Donovan Mitchell (missed 17 games, cannot miss one more)
– Devin Booker (missed 14 games, can only miss 2 more as he played just 5 minutes in one game)
– Trae Young (missed 13 games, can only miss 4 more)
– Karl-Anthony Towns (missed 5 games, can miss 12 more)
The reason Karl-Anthony Towns is likely to join the list is because he has torn his meniscus. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks and is all but set to miss 12 more games.
Trae Young, meanwhile, underwent finger surgery in late February and is to be reevaluated in four weeks. He will miss another four games for sure and become ineligible.
While there is a bit of time for Young and Towns to join the list, Donovan Mitchell will be there by Monday night. Mitchell has missed the last six games for the Cleveland Cavaliers with a knee injury and is not expected to be back for their next game against the Phoenix Suns.
Suns star Devin Booker might be back, however, Booker has missed Phoenix’s last four games due to an ankle sprain but has been listed as probable for the contest against the Cavaliers.
Booker has played 50 games this season, but only 49 of them count for this rule. Players must play 20 minutes for a game to be counted but there is a bit of leniency in the sense that two games in which they play between 15-20 minutes are also considered.
Booker, however, was on the court for just five minutes against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 14, so it doesn’t count. He is the only one of the four who could avoid making the list, but it is going to be close.
Joe Dumars Threw Shade At Players Who Want The 65-Game Requirement To Be Lowered
Quite a few players have complained about the 65-game rule but Joe Dumars, executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the NBA, does not have a lot of sympathy for them. Dumars threw shade at NBA players who want to lower the 65-game rule.
“I’m just saying that you’re still allowed to miss 17 games. You’re still allowed to miss 20 percent of the season. I don’t know how that could even remotely be considered to put your finger on the scale when you only have to play in 80 percent of the games.”
Dumars makes a very fair point here. The NBA has allowed the players to miss 20% of the season and that is a big enough portion of the campaign to miss. Charles Barkley said the players have nobody to blame but themselves for the 65-game rule, as they did not respect the game.
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