NBA's 65-game rule: Where Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, other awards candidates stand

NBA's 65-game rule: Where Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, other awards candidates stand

The games-played requirement will have an enormous impact on the MVP and All-NBA races

By James Herbert Apr 6, 2026 at 1:42 pm ET • 8 min read

Imagn Images

Everybody seems to hate the 65-game rule, which stipulates that players need to play at least that many regular-season games to qualify for end-of-season awards (with a few exceptions). "I feel like it hurts guys," Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart told me on March 10. Three days later, Stewart strained his left calf, which immediately took him out of the running for Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defense. Six days after that, the Pistons announced that Cade Cunningham had been diagnosed with a collapsed lung. Cunningham hasn't played since and is now ineligible for Most Valuable Player or All-NBA. His agent and the NBPA are not happy about this.

Also out of the running: Anthony Edwards, who was disqualified when he didn't play in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 113-108 loss in Detroit last Thursday. Luka Dončić appears to be in the same position, as he has a Grade 2 hamstring strain that's expected to keep him out for the rest of the regular season, but he's going to apply for an exemption due to "extraordinary circumstances," since he missed two games in January due to the birth of his child.

Anthony Edwards is latest victim of NBA's broken 65-game rule as he becomes ineligible for All-NBA honors Sam Quinn

Given all of these developments, it's worth taking stock of how the 65-game rule is affecting awards races. First, some notes:

• The rule does not apply to Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie or Clutch Player of the Year.
• In this context, a "game" means the player in question logs at least 20 minutes. The player is granted a maximum of two additional "games" in which he logs at least 15 and fewer than 20 minutes.
• A player will be deemed awards-eligible if he plays in at least 62 regular-season games and then suffers a season-ending injury, provided that, before suffering the injury, those 62-64 games represented at least 85% of his team's regular-season games.

You probably already know that Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James will not qualify. The point of this exercise is to look at who else has quietly been disqualified and how much wiggle room the still-eligible awards candidates have.

Most Valuable Player/All-NBA Teams

Not everyone mentioned in this section is an MVP candidate, but I figured I'd group these two categories because every realistic MVP candidate should also be a lock for All-NBA (if eligible).

The overview:

• Dončić must log at least 20 minutes in one more regular-season game to qualify for end-of-season awards. If he has suffered a season-ending injury, the 62-to-64-game exception mentioned above will not apply to him, as he had not played in 85% of his team's games at the time of the injury. The "extraordinary circumstances challenge," however, could potentially save him.
• For Cunningham to have maintained his awards eligibility, he would have needed to be cleared to play in the Pistons' game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
• Edwards missed six games in March because of right knee inflammation. He came back on March 30, just in time to be eligible for awards, but he needed to play in every game from then on to maintain his status. Minnesota ruled him out on Thursday because of that right knee issue and an illness.
• I keep hearing Devin Booker mentioned as an All-NBA candidate despite the fact that he was disqualified on March 6. Yes, he has appeared in 61 games this season, but two of them don't count because he played fewer than 15 minutes in them. For awards purposes, he can play in a maximum of 64 regular-season games.
• In the last three months, Victor Wembanyama has missed only two games: a March 12 loss against Denver in which he sat with ankle soreness and last Thursday's win against the Clippers in which he was listed as out due to ankle injury management. He needs to play in only two of San Antonio's four remaining games to qualify, as the NBA Cup championship game counts in this context (but not toward regular-season stats).
• When Nikola Jokić returned from a 16-game absence on Jan. 30, it left him with only a one-game buffer for the rest of the season. He hasn't missed any time since that knee injury. 
• Kawhi Leonard has only one game of wiggle room remaining after missing the Los Angeles Clippers' loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 19 with a sprained left ankle.
• In late February and early March, Deni Avdija missed six games because of a back injury, and he returned just in time to keep his eligibility alive. He can't miss another game, though, and can only log one more between 15 and 20 minutes.

The full picture:

20+ min15-20 minGPRemainingMax GPBuffer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander66066470n/aNikola Jokić611624661Luka Dončić622644683Victor Wembanyama621634672Kawhi Leonard620624661 Cade Cunningham60060464n/a Anthony Edwards59059463n/a Donovan Mitchell69069473n/a Jalen Brunson71071475n/a Jaylen Brown68068472n/aTyrese Maxey66066470n/a Kevin Durant75075479n/a Jamal Murray71172476n/a Jalen Johnson68068472n/a Jalen Duren612634672 Bam Adebayo68068472n/aDeni Avdija601614650 Karl-Anthony Towns72173477n/a Devin Booker60060464n/a Chet Holmgren66167471n/a Scottie Barnes76076480n/aPascal Siakam620624661Evan Mobley611624661 James Harden67168472n/a Derrick White73174478n/aStephon Castle65166470n/a

Defensive Player of the Year/All-Defensive Teams

The same logic applies here as in the previous section: The list of DPOY candidates is pretty short, and all of them should make All-Defense if they meet the criteria for eligibility.

The overview:

• Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels is out with a knee injury, but he has already passed the 65-game mark, so it won't affect his eligibility.
• Wembanyama has said he wants to win MVP and DPOY, and he's a strong frontrunner for the latter. As covered above, he still has two games of wiggle room because of the NBA Cup championship game.
• When Lu Dort missed the Oklahoma City Thunder's win against the Washington Wizards on March 21 due to a left knee contusion, his wiggle room went away. He must play at least 20 minutes in all four of OKC's remaining games to hit the 65-game mark.
• With Stewart out of the mix, Ausar Thompson is definitively the best remaining DPOY/All-Defense candidate representing the Pistons, who have the league's second-best defense. Thompson missed five games in March because of a right ankle sprain, but he came back with enough time to remain eligible, with one game of wiggle room.
• Draymond Green was a late scratch in the Golden State Warriors' loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 13, and the Warriors rested him on the front half of a back-to-back two days later, leaving him with only a one-game buffer. Green has not missed a game since.
• When OG Anunoby returned from a four-game absence due to a right toenail avulsion -- ugh, it feels bad just to type that -- in February, he gave himself a three-game buffer. Anunoby has not missed a game since.
• When Marcus Smart sat against Oklahoma City last Thursday, he officially lost his eligibility. Smart is dealing with a right ankle contusion.

The full picture:

20+ min15-20 minGPRemainingMax GPBufferVictor Wembanyama621634672Chet Holmgren66167471n/aScottie Barnes76076480n/a Rudy Gobert75075479n/aBam Adebayo68068472n/aDerrick White73174478n/aEvan Mobley611624661 Amen Thompson76076480n/aAusar Thompson602624661 Cason Wallace67269473n/aOG Anunoby640644683Stephon Castle65166470n/aIsaiah Stewart47249453n/aDraymond Green602624661 Kris Dunn75277481n/a Jaden McDaniels69170474n/aLu Dort592614650 Toumani Camara78078482n/a Dyson Daniels73073477n/aNickeil Alexander-Walker75075479n/aMarcus Smart57259463n/aNeemias Queta63265469n/aDonovan Clingan68270474n/a

Most Improved Player

I can't decide whether MIP is my favorite or least favorite race. It's definitely the most chaotic, with a ton of interesting candidates who have totally different résumés. Below is a broad list of candidates, including players you might think are too established or too young to deserve consideration.

Five proposals to fix the NBA's controversial 65-game rule as NBPA officially calls for change Sam Quinn

The overview:

• Avdija was the frontrunner for much of the season, but Duren is now the betting favorite, in part due to Avdija's back injury and his relative inefficiency since his return. It is probably not a coincidence that Avdija came back in time for him to play exactly 65 games if he has no more absences. If he misses one more game, he's out of the running.
• Anthony Black will not qualify. The Magic guard barely played in March, and Sunday's game against the Pelicans was his 16th straight absence. He will fall short of the 65-game mark.
• Detroit guard Daniss Jenkins has played in 68 games this season, but he has only logged 20-plus minutes in 32 of them. His emergence is a great story, but he has never been a realistic candidate because of the minutes stipulation.  
• Moussa Diabaté of the Charlotte Hornets is in the same position as Jenkins. The big man has played in 70 of the 79 games that Charlotte has played, but he played 20-plus minutes in only 56 of them.
• Cleveland's Jaylon Tyson, a strong candidate earlier this season, is no longer in the mix. After the Cavs' trade deadline moves, he logged a few sub-20-minute games, and he hasn't played since March 19 because of a toe injury. 
• Michael Porter Jr. is out. The Brooklyn Nets announced on March 19 that he has a strained left hamstring and would be evaluated in two to three weeks. Given that he had already missed 15 games, that announcement took him out of the running.
• Keyonte George is out too. The Utah Jazz guard strained his right hamstring on March 11, an injury that came with a return-to-play timetable of at least two weeks. He would have had to return for their game against Philadelphia on March 21 to maintain eligibility. George has still not returned.
• Dillon Brooks has returned after having surgery on his broken left hand, but that absence ended his MIP campaign.

The full picture:

20+ min15-20 minGPRemainingMax GPBufferJalen Duren612634672Jalen Johnson68068472n/aDeni Avdija601614650 Nickeil Alexander-Walker75075479n/aJaylen Brown68068472n/a Collin Gillespie74175479n/a Michael Porter Jr.52052456n/a Ryan Rollins73073477n/a Keyonte George52153457n/a Dillon Brooks52052456n/a Jaylon Tyson57259463n/a Onyeka Okongwu70171475n/aStephon Castle65166470n/a Neemias Queta63265469n/aAnthony Black57259463n/a Daniss Jenkins32234438n/a Donovan Clingan68270474n/aAmen Thompson76076480n/a Moussa Diabaté56258361n/a Join the Conversation comments