The NBA sent shockwaves around the community by introducing the 65-game rule at the start of the season. The latest criteria for award nominations received mixed reactions from the players, with Draymond Green actively taking a stance against it. Recently, Anthony Edwards openly supported the league’s governing body for their actions while going against the 4x champion’s decree.
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The scenario came into the spotlight during his recent interview for NBA Today with ESPN‘s Malika Andrews. It circled him reflecting on his MVP chances following the ongoing 39-17 run of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 22-year-old candidly backed himself, declaring, “I put myself pretty high. Because we are number one in the West and we are winning at a high level. I don’t see why not”.
Soon after that, the 6ft 4″ youngster subtly pointed out how the odds had been in his favor because of the recent rule change. Claiming himself to be a fan of the latest criteria, the 2x All-Star shared his perspective on the players’ availability before shedding light on the importance of rigidity.
“I like the 65-game rule…What are we here for? We’re here to play 40 games out of 82? I don’t think that should be rewarded. I think the 65-game rule is important cause it makes you understand you’re here to play basketball. You are not here to play every once in a while and rest…If you’re hurt, then cool. But if you’re just taking a night off, then nah, you gotta play,” Ant mentioned.
His views endorsed the value of dedication from the NBA stars while addressing their seeming lack of accountability in recent times. Featuring in 53 of the Timberwolves’ 56 games this season, the Georgia-born has truly walked the walk since the start of the campaign. Simultaneously, the shooting guard’s season average of 26.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and 5.2 assists per game has skewed the MVP curve in his favor. Thus, the visible excitement in his demeanor remained justified at this point.
Unlike Anthony Edwards, a handful have disliked the rule
From eligibility for supermax contracts to nominations for individual accolades, several factors circle the NBA stars’ availability. Green recently highlighted the downside of the rule while shedding light on Joel Embiid as a reference. The latter’s sudden injury has raised concerns surrounding his ability to secure a supermax contract paving the way for criticism.
“I don’t think he would need to be All-NBA this year to qualify for supermax, but say he does — we all know, I think, that Joel Embiid is an All-NBA performer, but because he, unfortunately, gets hurt, then he would miss that. You get Joel Embiid on a normal max deal just because he gets hurt. That’s garbage to me,” the 33-year-old told Inquirer.
Alongside the Golden State Warriors star, Nikola Jokic has maintained a similar standpoint. The 2x MVP put into the limelight the limitation for the players while highlighting the negative effects of the excessive workload. The Serbian had candidly pointed out its correlation with injury susceptibility while questioning the league’s decision.
Compared to both these superstars, Jaylen Brown expressed a comparatively neutral viewpoint. The Boston Celtics forward guard acknowledged the efforts of the NBA while concurrently questioning the extremity. “We’ve got guys who play half the season and win MVP. I’m not a big fan of that. But maybe 65 games might be a little too severe. Maybe they lessen it to 58 or something like that,” he mentioned.
At this point, each of these perspectives sounds reasonable due to the inherent complexities of the rule. The NBA’s active effort to ensure proper parameters for player recognition must be appreciated. Yet, the physical endeavors to meet the demands also become a source of concern over time. Therefore, the entire dynamics serve as a starting point for a new era as the entities need to cooperate to find an in-between.
