The impact of the 65-game rule on the NBA MVP race

The GIST: The NBA postseason picture is taking shape ahead of the regular-season finale on Sunday. And while the Eastern Conference middle-of-the-standings traffic jam is intriguing, the league MVP race is providing the real drama.

• The culprit? A little something called the 65-game rule. Let’s discuss.

🤔 What is the 65-game rule?: Introduced in 2023, the “65-game rule” aimed to course-correct the load management era, in which healthy players sat out of games to rest. In order for players to be eligible for most major awards, including league MVP, they must compete in at least 65 of their team’s 82 games and log at least 20 minutes in each of those tilts.

🏆 The impact on the MVP race: Four players dominated MVP conversations this season: Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nugget Nikola Jokić, San Antonio Spur Victor Wembanyama, and LA Laker Luka Dončić. Could the 65-game rule decide the MVP? It’s entirely possible.

• ✅ SGA has played in 68 games this season, making him eligible to defend his MVP crown after averaging 31.1 points per game.

• ↔️ Triple-double savant Jokić and defensive juggernaut Wembanyama are both on the cusp of eligibility. And while neither are 100% healthy heading into their team’s last two tilts, they’ll both need to play in at least one game this weekend to meet the league requirement.

• ❓ Last week’s hamstring injury sidelined Dončić for the rest of the regular season, but an “Extraordinary Circumstance Challenge” could keep the Lakers superstar eligible after he missed two games in December for the birth of his daughter. Watch this space.