The brand-new NBA rule that states a player must play a minimum of 65 games to make the All-NBA team cut and be eligible for individual awards has garnered immense flak from players, fans, and experts.
According to NBA analyst Farbod Esnaashari who called the rule “stupid”, the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker, and James Harden would not even be in the reckoning to make the All-NBA team.
“Having a minimum of 65 games is incredibly dumb,” he tweeted.
Players who would be disqualified from making the All-NBA team with the new stupid rules:
Steph Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker, James Harden.
Having a minimum of 65 games is incredibly dumb.
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) April 6, 2023
Here’s a quick look at the number of games the aforementioned stars have played this season:
Ja Morant: 60
Kyrie Irving: 60
Damian Lillard: 58
James Harden: 58
Anthony Davis: 54
Stephen Curry: 54
LeBron James: 53
Devin Booker: 53
Kawhi Leonard: 50
Kevin Durant: 47
Going by the new rule and had it come into effect this season, none of these superstars would even be eligible to make the All-NBA team.
With load management being one of the hot topics that go in parallel with the new rule, the 82-game regular season is a long and arduous journey, especially with players who are over 32, prompting the team’s think-tank to use them judiciously and keep them fresh.
The 65-game rule allows a player to perhaps take a break for 17 games, not accounting for niggles and injuries. Only time will tell how this move will impact the aging stars from the above list.
Draymond Green Lambasts The NBA’s Latest 65-Game Rule
Not all players were happy, and one of them expressing his displeasure at the whole matter was Golden Warriors forward, Draymond Green. Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, “I can appreciate this and everyone will appreciate this until you got bums on the All-NBA team and winning awards because someone didn’t qualify… ” he said.
“All of a sudden you don’t have any of those guys on All-NBA teams… What NBA are we representing? … I think owners are going to end complaining when they find a bum that they have to give an extension to that made the All-NBA team, and now they come in there asking you for max and supermax because they made the All-NBA team… then we’ll get the complaining.”
The league’s latest rule was added considering the fact that the team would then have a player who is continually available, which does come as good news, but it could also have accounted for player health while at it, which is pretty much the point Green and some of the experts have been talking about.
It remains to be seen how this rule will impact the 2023-24 season.
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