NBA 65-Game Rule May Prove to be Beneficial for Scottie Barnes

With just under a month left in the NBA regular season, the hype around the awards races is only growing, and there’s a stipulation that further complicates the voting. The 2026 season marks just the third year in which the 65-game rule is in effect; this details that any player must play in at least 65 of the 82 games in the regular season in order to be eligible for any major awards, along with All-NBA, Defense, or Rookie teams. 

Many fans and analysts have shown their dislike for the rule that was created with good intentions. The concept around the new stipulation was to incentivize players to suit up on a more regular basis, as opposed to resting on a night against a lesser team. The two biggest problems in the modern NBA are tanking and load management, and this rule was created to put a stop to the latter. 

To an extent, the rule has had a positive impact on load management; fans are far less often seeing players sit out games due to resting purposes, unless they play for a team that is tanking late in the season. Unfortunately, this rule has brought up a whole new problem, which is having players who are genuinely injured play in games that they probably shouldn’t for their long-term health. 

Players are injured far more often on average than in the old days; there are several factors that play a part in causing this, but the largest contributors consist of the pace and off-ball movement, both offensively and defensively. Because of this, playing in 65 regular-season games is much less of a guarantee, especially for the league’s brightest stars, because of the constant wear and tear on the body that wasn’t seen in the 20th century. 

This season may be the greatest example of why the 65-game rule has more of a negative influence on the league than a positive one. The postseason awards are cemented in NBA history, and having to significantly alter them because players went through real injuries is criminal. This can be directly noted with the league’s top-five candidates to win MVP this season. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (can miss five more games), Luka Doncic (five), Victor Wembanyama (three), Nikola Jokic (one), and Cade Cunningham (10, but out indefinitely) showcase the league’s greatest candidates to win the most prestigious individual award in the sport. All it takes is one minor injury in the final month of the season to not only eliminate them from the award’s contention, but also take away an All-NBA selection that they would all be guaranteed, if eligible. 

The only people that this rule positively affects are players like Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors. His consistent availability, paired with an All-Star level of contribution and impact, allows him to be a great candidate to benefit from some of the league’s best becoming ineligible. Barnes represents a group of players who deserve All-NBA recognition, but may merely miss the cut in any season before 2024. 

His campaign for Defensive Player of the Year may come up short, even if Wembanayam fails to reach the 65-game threshold. However, if he isn’t already a lock for the All-Defensive First Team, having the San Antonio Spurs’ superstar be eliminated would further push his name up the list of candidates. The same goes for the three All-NBA teams; his influence on a team making its first postseason appearance in four seasons should be recognized by All-NBA next to his name. With several of these superstars at risk of becoming ineligible, Barnes is a name to look out for as a replacement for the major awards.