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To be eligible for the NBA MVP, individual awards or to be included in the best line-ups of the season, players must play a minimum of 65 games. It is a controversial rule that was established to prevent teams from giving too many breaks to their stars, but it often leaves out of the record books each season some of the big names in the competition.
In the last game, while waiting to know the extent of his injury, Luka Doncic has been almost ruled out. So has Cade Cunningham. The Pistons point guard will be out for another week as he recovers from a pneumothorax. And Anthony Edwards is already out of the running as he will not be able to reach that fateful figure of 65 games.
The Timberwolves star was unable to participate in the loss to the Pistons (113-108) citing a right knee injury and illness. Minnesota has six games remaining and Edwards has played 59. However, he is counted as 58. On October 26, against the Pacers, he played only three minutes, a time that the NBA considers insignificant to enter the sum.
A fixture in the best five
The shooting guard, a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, is averaging a career-high 29.3 points per game, but will not be able to repeat that individual achievement.
There have long been critical voices against the 65-game rule, and Detroit Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff has once again questioned it. "I understand the intent, but a player like Cade shouldn't be punished for suffering a serious injury at the end of the season. He's played a lot of games. He's played a lot of minutes. He's had a phenomenal season," he said of his star, who is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists. Only eight players in NBA history have finished a season with such high numbers in both statistics.
A player should not be punished for suffering a serious injury at the end of the season
In a game orphaned by two great stars, Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins led the Pistons, who are very close to securing the lead in the East. The former had 22 points and 14 rebounds while the latter had 26 points. For the Wolves, Julius Randle was the top scorer with 27 points while Ayo Dosunmu and Naz Reid reached 19.