The NBA’s first regular season with its new controversial participation rule is officially in the books, folks.
For those of you who are not in the loop, the NBA is requiring players to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for some of the league’s end-of-season awards for the first time in league history.
If a player can’t meet that requirement, that player isn’t eligible to win prestigious awards. That includes MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA teams, All-Defensive teams and the Most Improved Player award.
The new rule worked — stars were missing fewer games this year. But, at the same time, players didn’t seem too pleased about it initially. Kevin Durant was the first player to call this new rule out when it was announced as a possibility this season.
There’s a good reason why: If a player can’t win any of those awards, they might be missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s a big deal for some of the players on this list.
Here’s a look at the list so far.
Karl-Anthony Towns
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Karl Anthony-Towns missed 21 games this season after tearing his meniscus at the end of the season. His 61 games played just missed the 65 game threshold required for postseason awards.
Joel Embiid
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Joel Embiid’s name is still probably the most notable one on this list. The 76ers center was on a path toward another MVP before tearing his meniscus. He’s back in the 76ers lineup now and focused on the playoffs.
Donovan Mitchell
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Had he been eligible for awards this season, Donovan Mitchell would’ve been a lock for an All-NBA team. But he’s only played in 59 games this season after missing a bit of time behind a nasal fracture and a knee injury.
Scottie Barnes
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Scottie Barnes likely would’ve been considered for Most Improved Player of the year considering his All-Star campaign this season. With only 59 games played, though, he’ll be missing out.
Kristaps Porzingis
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Porzingis has been held out of multiple games so far this year because of nagging injuries. He played 55 games this year.
Draymond Green
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green’s suspensions early in the season did most of the work in knocking him out of contention for postseason awards.
OG Anunoby
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OG Anunoby was surely going to get some love for an All-Defensive team with the way he was playing after being traded to the Knicks but he missed too much time behind his elbow injury.
Jimmy Butler
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Jimmy Butler has been in and out of the Heat lineup this season with various injuries. He’s played in 59 games so this year.
Marcus Smart
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Marcus Smart is out with a finger injury for most of the season. He hasn’t played for Memphis since January 9.
Bradley Beal
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Bradley Beal’s 53 games for Phoenix are the most he’s played in since the 2020 NBA season but it won’t be enough to keep him eligible for any awards.
Darius Garland
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Garland has played in 57 games this year but has been relatively healthy aside from the broken jaw that kept him out for months early on.
Jamal Murray
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Murray played in 59 games so far this season missing a bit of time behind a sprained ankle. He won’t have a shot at an All-NBA team this year.
Evan Mobley
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Evan Mobley’s season was peppered with injuries, but when he played he was easily one of the best defenders on the court. He won’t be eligible for DPOY considering that he only played 50 games for the Cavs this year.
Khris Middleton
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The Bucks have struggled to stay healthy all season long. Khris Middleton is essentially the embodiment of that — he hasn’t been able to string together consistent stretches for Milwaukee. He played in 55 games this year, but it feels like less.
