NBA Needs To Adjust Minimum Game Rule

The NBA introduced its 65-game minimum in 2023 with a reasonable goal: to stop teams from load managing healthy superstars through the regular season. What seemed like a smart idea at the time is now threatening to turn this year's award races into a sham.

Right now, four of the five best players in the world are in real danger of missing the cutoff entirely. Nikola Jokic, who's putting up a historic season with 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 11.0 assists with ridiculous shooting percentage splits, is expected to miss at least four weeks with a knee injury. That's roughly 16 games, which would mean he could only sit out two more games for the remainder of the season, all but disqualifying him from MVP and All-NBA consideration. A potential all-time great campaign was erased by a legitimate injury.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has already missed 14 games and can only miss three more the rest of the season. Considering the Milwaukee Bucks have seven back-to-back games remaining and are pursuing a playoff berth or potentially trading their star, that number is unlikely to be met. Victor Wembanyama, averaging 24 points and 11.7 rebounds while anchoring San Antonio's rise to a top-two seed in the West, has missed 12 and can only miss five more. Luka Doncic has already missed seven games with the Lakers and has barely any cushion left.

The only superstar comfortably safe is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who's missed just one game all season. He's now the MVP favorite by default, not necessarily because he's been clearly better than everyone else, but because he's been healthy. With all respect to Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson, who are having career seasons of their own, they’re still a level below the others.

Here's the problem: this rule was designed to punish strategic rest, not legitimate injuries. There's a massive difference between sitting out to preserve your body for the playoffs and missing time because you're actually hurt. Yet the rule treats both scenarios identically. 

What makes this especially frustrating is that MVP awards and All-NBA selections determine contract bonuses and supermax eligibility. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars. A player could lose out not only on a career-defining award but also on generational wealth because he got injured, through no fault of his own.

The solution seems obvious: distinguish between load management and documented injuries. Medical verification isn't some impossible hurdle, as the league already has injury reporting protocols in place. Create exceptions for players who miss time due to legitimate medical issues while keeping the penalties for teams trying to play the system.

Imagine an NBA season without Jokic, Doncic, Wembanyama, and Antetokounmpo on an All-NBA team and, worse, unable to contend for the MVP award. If the NBA doesn't adjust this rule, the league and fans might look back at the 2025-26 awards that were decided by who managed to remain healthy, rather than who actually deserved them, which would be a black mark on the league and its record books.