Why Victor Wembanyama is eligible for NBA postseason awards despite playing 64 games originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NBA’s 65-game threshold for postseason award eligibility remains under tremendous scrutiny.
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A quirk in the rules that helps San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama — but hurts Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic and others — will only heighten the furor and calls for NBA commissioner Adam Silver to move that threshold.
MORE: Victor Wembanyama gets real on Spurs’ NBA Playoffs hopes
Though Wembanyama played 64 regular-season games, his two appearances in the NBA Cup finals are counted as additional appearances per NBA rules.
Wembanyama helped the Spurs eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semis before San Antonio fell to the New York Knicks back in December.
It means Wembanyama will be eligible for MVP, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year despite playing 1,866 minutes — fewer than Doncic, Cunningham, Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards, none of whom met the 65-game criteria.
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While it does prompt questions about the NBA’s methodology, for Wembanyama, the news is absolutely fantastic. Though he sat out the Spurs’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Wembanyama steered San Antonio to its best season in 10 years: a 62-20 record, good enough for second in the Western Conference.