NBA Awards eligibility tracker: Nikola Jokić must play Sunday to cross 65-game rule

With the NBA’s common season ending Sunday, consideration will quickly flip to the playoffs and the league’s annual award races. But there are nonetheless some main awards questions to determine, corresponding to whether or not Nikola Jokić will even be eligible.

Due to the NBA’s 65-game rule, plenty of injured stars — together with LeBron James, Cade Cunningham, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry — are already ineligible for regular-season honors.

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The precise rule is that gamers should play at the least 20 minutes in 65 video games throughout the common season to be awards-eligible, although they get two video games during which they solely need to play for quarter-hour. The NBA Cup championship sport, which doesn’t depend within the standings, additionally counts as a sport performed for gamers on the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

With solely sport remaining for each group, there are nonetheless a pair All-Stars who must play Sunday to be awards-eligible. That contains Jokić, who missed Friday’s sport with proper wrist damage administration alongside the remainder of the Denver Nuggets’ beginning 5.

Let’s check out who nonetheless must develop into eligible.

Players prone to not qualifying for NBA awards

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 17 missed video games

• Missed a month with a left knee damage

• Needs to play at the least quarter-hour within the Nuggets’ regular-season finale towards the San Antonio Spurs to develop into eligible

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Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers: 16 missed video games

• Missed time with a again damage

• Needs to play at the least 20 minutes within the Trail Blazers’ regular-season finale towards the Sacramento Kings to develop into eligible

• Appeared for lower than a minute in a single sport, which doesn’t depend towards his complete

Players ineligible for NBA awards

These star gamers is not going to attain the league’s 65-game threshold for year-end awards this season.

• Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

• Anthony Davis, Mavericks/Wizards

• Trae Young, Hawks/Wizards

The ‘Just Made It’ membership

These gamers formally turned awards-eligible on Friday.