The NBA’s regular season is winding down, but the drama off the court is just as intense as anything happening in the arenas. With the final weekend of games upon us, the league’s new 65-game eligibility rule for major awards has become the focal point of heated debates, strategic decisions, and even a bit of frustration among players, coaches, and fans alike. The spotlight this week has shone brightest on two of the game’s biggest stars: Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
On April 10, 2026, Victor Wembanyama took the floor against the Dallas Mavericks in what was, by all accounts, a meaningless game for the Spurs in terms of the standings. But for Wembanyama, it was anything but trivial. Nursing bruised ribs, the French phenom played 26 minutes, surpassing the required 20-minute threshold and securing his 65th game of the season. That appearance checked a crucial box: he’s now officially eligible for the NBA’s most prestigious individual honors, including Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA, and even MVP consideration. “Feels like it’s a box that’s checked,” Wembanyama said after the game, visibly relieved. “Means a lot. Means a lot. More than people know. Coming back from a terrible place a little bit more than a year ago, and if I’m here today it’s because of all the people that have allowed me to work through this and get better and all the work that we’ve put in all year long. I wouldn’t be able to do what I’ve done this season if I hadn’t worked so hard in the summer.”
For Wembanyama, the journey to this moment was anything but straightforward. Last season, he was a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year before a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis at the All-Star break abruptly ended his campaign, leaving him well short of the 65-game mark. This year, he barely made it, and he’s not alone in questioning whether the threshold is set at the right place. “It’s an interesting question. It’s a very interesting question,” Wembanyama remarked when told that stars like Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, and Anthony Edwards would be left out of award contention despite their stellar seasons. “If those three aren’t — especially Cade and Luka — if they aren’t in the end-of-season awards, for sure it’s not going to reflect their impact on the season. But at the same time, in my opinion, it’s good to have a threshold, a limit. Where do we need to put it? I don’t know. It’s a good question.”
The rule in question is straightforward on paper but complicated in practice. As part of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, players must appear in at least 65 games, logging a minimum of 20 minutes in each (with two exceptions for games of at least 15 minutes), to be eligible for end-of-season awards. The intent was to encourage stars to play more and reduce the trend of load management. But as this season has shown, injuries and strategic rest have left a slew of household names—LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and the aforementioned Doncic, Cunningham, and Edwards—out of the running for accolades, regardless of their statistical dominance.
For the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, the situation is equally fraught. Jokic, a three-time MVP and this season’s rebounding and assist champion, sat out the Nuggets’ April 10 clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder due to right wrist injury management. That left him at 64 games played, just one shy of the magic number. With the regular-season finale looming against the Spurs, all eyes are on Nuggets coach David Adelman and the team’s front office. “This rule stares at us right now. We’ve got to make a proper decision and we need to go in there with a real plan of ‘this is what it’s going to be.’ Either he gets those minutes, or we say ‘let’s just move on,’” Adelman explained after the Thunder game.
Adelman is candid about the challenges. “Obviously, the success in the playoffs matters more than anything else. But this rule stares at us right now,” he said. The decision is not just about Jokic’s personal ambitions—though a sixth First Team All-NBA selection would cement his legacy—but about weighing the risks of injury against the potential benefits of individual recognition. Jokic, who missed 16 games in January with a knee hyperextension, has played every game since returning, but the physical toll is evident. The Nuggets have already clinched home-court advantage in the first round, but their final seeding—and potential playoff path—will be determined by Sunday’s results. If Denver beats San Antonio, they lock up the No. 3 seed and a first-round matchup with Minnesota. Lose, and they could slip to fourth, facing Houston instead.
The intrigue doesn’t stop there. The Spurs, locked into the No. 2 seed, have little incentive to play their starters in the finale, especially with Wembanyama having secured his eligibility. Meanwhile, Denver’s internal conversations about playoff matchups have sparked debate among coaches, players, and even fans. “The matchups with those teams, I’ll be honest, there’s so much unknown. I think people need to calm down with ‘Let’s play the Lakers,’” Adelman remarked, referencing the ever-shifting playoff picture. “Us and Minnesota, it’s been a crazy back-and-forth over the years. They swept us last year, but then we beat them three out of four this year. We always know it’s competitive with them. They’ve given us issues. We’ve given them issues. And then obviously Houston, I mean, they’re playing so well right now. … So there’s no good opponent in my opinion. I think you just have to play it out with decisions that are best for your team, and we feel like tonight, this is the best decision.”
That decision, for now, is to prioritize health over hardware. Multiple team sources have stressed that injury avoidance is the top priority, even if it means sacrificing a higher seed or individual awards. Still, the allure of history and recognition is hard to ignore. Jokic needs just 15 minutes of action to become eligible for postseason awards, and the final call will include input from both him and team ownership.
For fans, the uncertainty is both thrilling and frustrating. Those who bought tickets hoping to see an MVP showdown between Jokic and Wembanyama might instead witness reserve squads and strategic maneuvering. It’s the modern NBA in a nutshell: load management, data-driven decisions, and a rulebook that sometimes struggles to keep pace with the realities of the game.
As Sunday approaches, the league’s award races and playoff picture hang in the balance. Will Jokic log the necessary minutes and secure his place on the All-NBA team? Or will the Nuggets prioritize the long game, resting their superstar for a deep playoff run? One thing’s for sure: the conversation around the 65-game rule isn’t going away anytime soon. The decisions made this weekend could shape not just the postseason but the very future of NBA award criteria.
With so much at stake and so many moving parts, all eyes remain fixed on the final day of the regular season. The only certainty is that, in today’s NBA, every minute counts—sometimes more than ever before.