With the NBA's regular season coming to an exciting finish, teams go out of their way to secure a playoff spot or try to catch the last train to the postseason. While on the court, every matchup and game won matters; off the court, the discussion around individual achievements and awards grows louder and louder.
The MVP award, namely, has become, maybe somewhat unexpectedly, the main point of discussion. And no, it's not just because a handful of players are neck and neck with their brilliant performances, but also because the outcome of this race could be decided by — well, "technicalities."
As the Association implemented the 65-game rule in the 2023-24 season, it seems that this very rule could influence who ends up winning. And the Golden State Warriors forward, Draymond Green , a man known for speaking up when he sees fit, argues strongly against it.
"All of a sudden you start getting guys on the All-NBA team or getting guys winning the MVP that wouldn't necessarily win it if that wasn't the case…" the Dubs enforcer bluntly pointed out on "The Draymond Green Show." "You change the course of NBA history, but you don't go back in the past and change what would have been."
Green took a short trip down memory lane to see what would have changed if this rule were retroactively applied, which, of course, is impossible, and pointed out a few examples of players who would not have received their accolades if the rule existed back then. However, in some examples Dray used, he admittedly forgot to account for shortened seasons due to lockouts or other factors.
To better illustrate what this 65-game cutoff would have done for the course of history, as Green put it, we have to dig deep into the league's archives.
League history records five instances of guys being named "Most Valuable Player" despite playing fewer than 65 games. Still, Bill Walton remains the only player to do so in a full 82-game season. For the Portland Trail Blazers in 1978, he played 58 games, but the voters didn't take that into consideration at that time and awarded him MVP.
The remaining four cases included: Bob Cousy with the Boston Celtics in 1957 (64 appearances in a 72-game season), Karl Malone with the Utah Jazz in 1999 (49 appearances in a lockout 50-game season), LeBron James with the Miami Heat in 2012 (62 appearances in a lockout 66-game season) and Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 (63 appearances in a COVID-shortened 73-76-game season). So, if we put it into the context of each season, each had a legitimate chance of making it even with the new rules in place.
This season, the situation is a little different. While stars like Giannis and LeBron are long out of the conversation, the two leading candidates from last year, including the reigning MVP, are walking a tightrope to avoid disqualification.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has suited up in 51 out of 62 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder , Nikola Jokic can only miss one more game for the Denver Nuggets before he falls out of the race, and Luka Doncic has appeared in 48 of 60 games for the Los Angeles Lakers . Missing any more games for these superstars would put their chances in jeopardy, and as a result, some other players are now profiling as leading favorites to win it.
"I think if, say, Joker didn't qualify, SGA didn't qualify, I think your top three is Cade (Cunningham), Jaylen Brown and Wemby," Green pointed out before further elaborating.
"And I only say Wemby due to the amount of games that, yes, he did play, but he was on the minutes restriction. You know, playing 20 minutes, 22 minutes… I think that has to matter," he added.
The main goal of this rule, which was implemented, was to prevent superstars from taking unnecessary days off to preserve themselves for more important games. However, it seems that it has had almost the opposite effect. Green pointed out that nobody is load-managing that many games to begin with, and the threshold itself doesn't make sense. On top of that, with awards and All-NBA selections at stake, guys often rush back earlier than necessary from legitimate injuries, which only puts them at risk of aggravating those injuries further.
If we go back to the first part of the season, it can be recalled that it was the tactic that the San Antonio Spurs used with their French superstar, Victor Wembanyama . Fresh off a calf injury, Wemby didn't sit out completely in street clothes. Instead, he came off the bench and logged just over 20 minutes per game, making sure he stayed eligible for end-of-season awards. He narrowly missed out on recognition (Defensive Player of the Year) last campaign, and it seems he didn't want the repeat of that same story yet again.
Whether justified or not, the approach is completely legit. However, it is also a living proof of a not-so-magical cycle that seems to rub many the wrong way.
"But it honestly just sucks that we're even having this discussion that this rule is in place. I just think no one is load managing that many games. And I think it is a reaction to the public saying, 'Oh man, these guys load managed this game when they came to this arena.' I think it's an overreaction to that that ultimately has these consequences that I think are completely unfair," Draymond concluded.
While someone like Cade Cunningham , widely considered number three in the race ahead of Luka, and Jaylen Brown are generating buzz for the Michael Jordan Trophy with their stellar play, carrying their respective teams, the question of the ultimate winner still revolves around The Joker and SGA. Unless something drastic happens in the final month and a half of the season, and if any of the stars mentioned fail to meet the eligibility criteria, it seems the league will have to revisit this rule to see if it truly makes sense. As Draymond puts it, the Association might have to rethink this, and maybe even abolish the rule completely, to avoid problems in the future.
As the season winds down, it is clear that the stars are not the concern, as was previously presented. It might be the system. Until the league revisits or tweaks the 65-game rule, it will continue to draw unwanted attention from the media and others.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
