With the NBA’s common season ending Sunday, consideration will quickly flip to the playoffs and the league’s annual award races. But there are nonetheless some main awards questions to determine, similar to whether or not Nikola Jokić will even be eligible.
Due to the NBA’s 65-game rule, plenty of injured stars — together with LeBron James, Cade Cunningham, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry — are already ineligible for regular-season honors.
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The actual rule is that gamers should play at the least 20 minutes in 65 video games through the common season to be awards-eligible, although they get two video games by which they solely need to play for quarter-hour. The NBA Cup championship game, which doesn’t rely within the standings, additionally counts as a game performed for gamers on the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
With just one game remaining for each staff, there are nonetheless a pair All-Stars who have to play Sunday to be awards-eligible. That consists of Jokić, who missed Friday’s game with right wrist injury management alongside the rest of the Denver Nuggets’ starting five.
He is formally questionable for Sunday’s game on the Nuggets’ harm report, whereas each different starter has been dominated out once more for a conflict with the San Antonio Spurs that would resolve who will get the third seed within the Western Conference playoffs.
Let’s check out who nonetheless must turn out to be eligible.
Players vulnerable to not qualifying for NBA awards
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 17 missed video games
Missed a month with a left knee harm
Needs to play at the least quarter-hour within the Nuggets’ regular-season finale in opposition to the San Antonio Spurs to turn out to be eligible
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Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers: 16 missed video games
Missed time with a again harm
Needs to play at the least 20 minutes within the Trail Blazers’ regular-season finale in opposition to the Sacramento Kings to turn out to be eligible
Appeared for lower than a minute in a single game, which doesn’t rely towards his complete
Players ineligible for NBA awards
These star gamers won’t attain the league’s 65-game threshold for year-end awards this season.
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Anthony Davis, Mavericks/Wizards
Trae Young, Hawks/Wizards
The ‘Just Made It’ membership
These gamers formally grew to become awards-eligible on Friday.
