One of the crazier rule changes the NBA has made in recent years was the 65-game minimum for players to qualify for awards. It’s led to some truly wonky results like a whole host of the league’s top defenders being ineligible for Defensive Player of the Year and plenty of deserving players missing out on honors they had rightful cases for.
It also means that any in-season injury comes with it a ticking countdown of games remaining before being ruled ineligible. The Lakers have suffered plenty of injuries
this season, most notably in LeBron James missing the opening weeks of the season.
As a result, he has just a one-game cushion before becoming ineligible for any awards, which would mark the end of his string of 21 consecutive All-NBA selections. Given the number of back-to-backs remaining on the Lakers’ schedule and the likelihood of LeBron sitting one of the games out, it seems like a foregone conclusion that streak, like his double-digit scoring streak, comes to an end this season.
But how much risk are other Lakers at? For most, it’s not a particularly meaningful benchmark to clear. For the likes of Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves, both of whom have missed time this season, it is a particularly relevant line they must stay above.
Here’s a look at how many games each player who could be in the running for awards has missed so far and can miss the rest of the season:
- Austin Reaves — 6 games missed, 11 more games can be missed
- Luka Dončić — 6 games missed, 11 more games can be missed
- LeBron James — 16 games missed, 1 more game can be missed
- Deandre Ayton — 4 games missed, 13 more games can be missed
- Marcus Smart — 9 games missed, 8 more games can be missed
Obviously, Ayton (Most Improved Player?) and Smart (Sixth Man of the Year? All-Defense?) are long shots to win any kind of awards, but long shots have won in years past if for no other reason than everyone in front of them became ineligible.
We’ll keep this updated as each player misses any more games this seasonto see how close they are to being ruled ineligible, so be sure to check back.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
