Jaylen Brown explains stance on NBA’s 65-game rule for awards

The NBA’s 65-game requirement for postseason awards eligibility has the potential to maintain among the league’s greatest names out of rivalry this season.

It’s a easy idea in a league the place load administration has develop into a factor: Gamers who don’t play in 80 p.c of the regular-season video games don’t get a shot on the awards.

However there are nonetheless questions as as to whether or not it’s truthful. Take Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, for instance. The NBPA just lately cited Cunningham’s case in its argument for why the rule should be changed.

Cunningham is a razor-thin margin away from averaging a double-double for the whole season with 24.5 factors per sport and 9.9 assists per sport. He has been the catalyst behind a significant turnaround for the Pistons. They gained simply 14 occasions in 2024, and so they tied the document for the NBA’s longest shedding streak by dropping 28 video games in a row.

This season, the Pistons are the highest seed within the Japanese Convention, the one group presently in entrance of the Celtics. However as a result of he suffered a collapsed lung at the end of the season with simply 61 video games below his belt, there’s an opportunity Cunningham won’t even be thought of for the MVP award.

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown gave his opinion on the requirement throughout a latest stay stream on his Twitch channel. He stated the 65-game quantity appeared somewhat bit too excessive. He talked about 62 video games as a quantity nearer to his preferences.

However he additionally stated that he believes having a requirement basically is one thing that the league wanted. In the end, he’s “not mad” that the NBA settled on 65 video games.

“The opposite is that previously, guys could be taking part in 40 or 50 video games, and so they’d be up for All-NBA groups, and so they performed half the season,” Brown said. “Their numbers could be higher as a result of they solely performed half the video games versus somebody who performed 70, 68, 72 video games.

“That’s an enormous distinction. Due to that’s the reason I really feel prefer it was wanted, as a result of you’ll be able to’t have dudes taking part in 45, 50 video games and successful first-team All-NBA. You principally got here to work half the time and bought rewarded for it.”

As just lately as final week, DraftKings Sportsbook had Cunningham forward of Brown within the MVP race. By Wednesday afternoon, he had dropped out of the highest 9 altogether.

Brown presently has the fifth-best odds, and he’s anticipated to play his sixty fifth sport Wednesday night time towards the Thunder. That may make him the primary participant within the top-five to hit that mark this season.

Present favourite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP has performed 60 video games. So has Luka Doncic, who’s presently in second. Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic, who’re third and fourth respectively, have every performed in 57 video games.

The Thunder, Lakers, Spurs, and Nuggets all have ten video games or much less remaining within the common season schedule. Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic must play at the least 5 extra video games to be eligible. Wembanyama and Jokic must play at the least eight extra.

The rule applies as properly to All-NBA alternatives, that are additionally a part of the factors for eligibility for Sueprmax contracts.

Whereas he helps the rule, Brown additionally acknowledged that standard opinion on it has appeared to shift over time.

“It’s humorous as a result of folks have as soon as once more moved the bar,” Brown stated. “At first, when it was round, when it first turned a 65-game rule, everybody was in assist of it.

“On the time, folks have been speaking about guys who have been load managing. There have been loads of complaints about load administration. Numerous complaints round guys not taking part in, superstars not taking part in. Now, it looks as if the favored opinion is it’s time to do away with the 65.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports activities Reporter

Khari Thompson covers skilled sports activities for Boston.com. Earlier than becoming a member of the group in 2022, Khari lined school soccer for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.