Victor Wembanyama got to 65 games. Nikola Jokic might not.
And the NBA’s award eligibility rule was a talking point yet again Friday night.
The 65-game standard was the biggest reason in San Antonio’s next-to-last 鈥� and standings-wise, meaningless 鈥� game of the season against Dallas. He needed to play 20 minutes to ensure he’d get a 65th qualifying game and make it to the awards ballot, and wound up playing 26 to secure that spot.
鈥淔eels like it’s a box that’s checked,鈥� Wembanyama said.
He’s the favorite to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year, he’ll almost certainly be an All-NBA pick and he’ll get some votes for MVP 鈥� an award he clearly wants 鈥� as well.
But Jokic, the three-time MVP who will finish the season as the league’s rebounding champion, assist champion and only player averaging a triple-double, , with the Nuggets citing a right wrist injury. That left Jokic at 64 games for the season, one away from the magic 65 number.
It鈥檚 possible, but doesn鈥檛 sound guaranteed, that Jokic will get that 65th game on Sunday in the regular-season finale. Nuggets coach David Adelman said 鈥渁n adult conversation鈥� was going to take place on Saturday.
鈥淥bviously, the success in the playoffs matters more than anything else,鈥� Adelman said. 鈥淏ut this rule stares at us right now. And so, we鈥檝e got to make a proper decision and we need to go in there with a real plan of 鈥榯his is what it鈥檚 going to be.鈥� Either he gets those minutes, or we say 鈥榣et鈥檚 just move on.鈥欌��
Adelman said he hopes the rule is changed, somehow, this summer. He said if players like Jokic can play 64 games, never wanting to come out, and not be award-eligible, then something is wrong.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not the spirit of what that rule is,鈥� Adelman said.
The 65-game rule 鈥� which was hammered out in talks between the league and the players鈥� union as part of the current collective bargaining agreement 鈥� has been a hot topic in recent weeks. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, currently out with a hamstring injury, is going to win the scoring title but he’s one game short of being award-eligible.
If neither Doncic nor Jokic is awards-eligible, the league’s scoring, rebound and assist champions all will miss the All-NBA team. The games-played threshold for being eligible for statistical titles is 58, or 70% of the season.
Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy, has said an appeal will be filed with the NBA to cite special circumstances and get the scoring champ on the awards ballots. An appeal could be filed on behalf of Detroit star Cade Cunningham 鈥� who will finish just short of the awards threshold 鈥� and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards won’t get to 65 games, either.
And even Wembanyama isn鈥檛 sure if 65 is the right number.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an interesting question. It鈥檚 a very interesting question,鈥� Wembanyama said, when told Doncic, Cunningham and Edwards are among those certain to fall short of 65 games. 鈥淚f those three aren鈥檛 鈥� especially Cade and Luka 鈥� if they aren鈥檛 in the end-of-season awards, for sure it鈥檚 not going to reflect their impact on the season. But at the same time, in my opinion, it鈥檚 good to have a threshold, a limit. Where do we need to put it? I don鈥檛 know. It鈥檚 a good question.鈥�
Wembanyama was well on his way to winning the defensive player award last season when a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis cut his season short at the All-Star break and left him far below the 65-game standard.
He almost didn’t get there this year, either.
鈥淢eans a lot. Means a lot. More than people know,鈥� Wembanyama said. 鈥淐oming back from a terrible place a little bit more than a year ago, and if I鈥檓 here today it鈥檚 because of all the people that have allowed me to work through this and get better and all the work that we鈥檝e put in all year long. I wouldn鈥檛 be able to do what I鈥檝e done this season if I hadn鈥檛 worked so hard in the summer.鈥�
Wembanyama’s primary wish for the season is a championship. Jokic would surely say the same.
But there is a balance, and individual awards do matter, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
鈥淚ndividual awards, accolades, recognition, accomplishment is important,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淎nd I think when you have a team that understands that the greater good for the team and the group is the most important thing, it allows people to feel good about not only acknowledging others but also being acknowledged in the moment.鈥�
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