ESPN Analyst Says That NBA 65-Game Rule is Working

Is the NBA’s new 65-game rule working? The NBA decided that they had enough of star players sitting out games, so it made a rule change. As of this season, players who don’t play at least 65 games won’t qualify for many of the NBA’s major awards. That means if you fall below the threshold, you might not be able to be named to an All-NBA team or even win the MVP award. 

Many people have criticized this change. People think that players aren’t going to risk their health just to win some award, and now we will have some undeserving players on the All-NBA team. 

NBA insider Tim Bontemps believes that the rule is actually working to get star players to play more games. 

"The NBA put this rule in because they wanted star players to play in more games. And guess what? The harsh truth of the rule and the dirty secret of it is it's working. The rule is working. Guys are playing in more games. That's why it's not changing. It's why it exists. I don't think it was a coincidence Nikola Jokić came back from this bone bruise after missing 16 games…Victor Wembanyama has played in dozens of games in a row now and hasn't missed any games because he's three or four games away from [the 65-game threshold].”

Bontemps makes a good point. If the 65-game threshold wasn’t in place, there’s a chance that guys like Wembanyama or Jokić would take just a few extra games to come back from injury. They didn’t and it doesn’t seem to have affected them negatively. 

So yes, there will be some surprising names left off this year’s All-NBA teams, but a good portion of ability is your availability, and players who can stay available should be rewarded.