OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Doncic’s left hamstring injury could have long-term implications not only on the Lakers’ regular season, but also their postseason fate.
But outside of the Lakers, Doncic’s injury could also have ripple effects throughout the NBA once it’s time to vote for end-of-season awards because of the league’s requirement for certain league honors.
Doncic, who had an outside shot at competing for league MVP and was likely to be named to the All-NBA first team for the sixth time in his career, will be one game shy of the 65 games played required to be eligible for end-of-season awards after the Lakers announced on Friday that Doncic will miss the remainder of the regular season because of a Grade 2 strained hamstring.
There’s an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” clause in the league’s collective bargaining agreement that would allow for Doncic to file a grievance over missing two games in December due to the birth of his daughter. An arbitrator’s ruling would come after the regular season ends.
Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME, confirmed to ESPN that they’ll apply for the challenge to ensure Doncic remains eligible for end-of-season awards.
But Doncic shouldn’t be in this position in the first place.
Nor should Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham or Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards, both of whom dealt with circumstances that will likely make them ineligible for league awards.
Or the countless other stars who’ve already been disqualified from awards voting, or who have to play either every game or all but one game down the stretch of the season to remain eligible, such as Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
This isn’t to say having a games threshold for league awards isn’t a good thing.
But it’s an acknowledgment that adjustments are necessary to give the league the best shot possible at having end-of-season award ballots represent the most impactful players for that respective season.
The suggested adjustments that should be made in order for that to happen: Lower the games-played threshold to 58.
And include a minutes played exception clause for players who fall short of 58 games.
Fifty-eight, or 70% of an 82-game season, are the number of games required to qualify for several statistical league leaders, such as scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocked shots and minutes.
If Doncic didn’t play another game this season, he’d likely be recognized as the scoring leader for the second time in his career, with a league-high scoring average of 33.5 points, but wouldn’t be eligible for All-NBA.
Before the league introduced the 65-games-played threshold for major end-of-season awards starting with the 2023-24 season — in hopes of having more star players available — the league already had a decade-long precedent for what was required for other league honors.
It’s time for the league to be more consistent on this front.
Clauses already exist allowing players to be eligible for end-of-season awards if they don’t reach the current 65-game threshold, just as exceptions exist if a player doesn’t play in 58 games to qualify as a statistical leader.
The proposed exception for players falling short of the suggested 58 games played for end-of-season awards is a 1,624-minutes-played requirement across the season, equivalent to 28 minutes per game.
Yes, star players such as Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo would still remain ineligible for end-of-season awards because they’d fall short of both the suggested games and minutes played thresholds.
But players such as Doncic, Edwards and Cunningham would still be able to receive consideration for awards meant to honor star players who led their respective teams for most of the season.
As Lakers coach JJ Redick put it, having guidance for voters is helpful.
And there may not be a perfect answer for the threshold required to be eligible for end-of-season awards.
There’s always going to be a player, or players, who fall short of the requirements.
But what’s in place now isn’t working as intended. A lower threshold would help all stakeholders.
