NBA gamers might want to seem in 65 video games in an effort to qualify for postseason awards comparable to MVP and All-NBA staff, in line with ESPN.
The edge, included within the new collective bargaining settlement between the NBA and NBA Gamers Affiliation, will tackle load administration and situations the place star gamers proceed to overlook video games with a “relaxation” label connected to their title on the harm report.
ESPN reported that the “65-game minimal does include some circumstances,” nevertheless it’s unclear, at this level, what these caveats are and whether or not they embrace totally different situation accidents.
The Athletic reported March 13 that Pelicans guard CJ McCollum and Suns guard Chris Paul spoke in regards to the load administration concern at a Competitors Committee assembly.
They detailed the way it sometimes “stems from groups eager to have gamers sit both to protect them, to handle the schedule of video games or to fulfill potential organizational objectives for the season,” The Athletic wrote, and there was reportedly a shared settlement that the idea could possibly be addressed within the collective bargaining settlement.
“We need to be sure that we now have a system the place our greatest gamers are incentivized to be on the ground,” Silver mentioned in June 2022, in line with The Athletic. “On the identical time, we clearly don’t need to see them injured.”
The important thing, then, was for the 2 sides to discover a stability, and the 65-game minimal will begin with the 2023-24 season — the primary season the brand new collective bargaining settlement kicks in.
In accordance with The Athletic, simply three gamers inside the highest 10 for the MVP voting (12 gamers, with three tied for tenth place) logged greater than 68 video games — Nikola Jokic, DeMar DeRozan and Jayson Tatum.
4 gamers from that 2021-22 listing wouldn’t qualify beneath the brand new rule, as Steph Curry (eighth place, 64 video games), Ja Morant (seventh place, 57 video games), LeBron James (tied for tenth, 56 video games) and Kevin Durant (tied for tenth, 55 video games) didn’t meet the 65-game threshold.
This season, the brand new rule may’ve impacted the eligibility of gamers comparable to Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo based mostly on their present tempo, in line with CBS Sports activities — although that would change relying on what number of 76ers and Bucks video games, respectively, they play in to shut the common season.
Not all gamers observe that very same development, although.
Knicks star Julius Randle has rejected the idea of load administration and mentioned he has “my very own science,” whereas the Nets’ Mikal Bridges — who arrived from Phoenix on the commerce deadline within the Durant deal — hasn’t missed a sport all through his whole NBA profession.
“I simply put manner an excessive amount of into my physique, for me personally to cheat myself out of being out there for my staff,” Randle mentioned in March.
And now, the NBA seems to have a system in place for these gamers — and groups — who method the subject in a different way.
