Adam Silver defends 65-threshold rule by saying stars are playing more NBA contests

As the All-Star activities were celebrated this past weekend, the entire NBA world was all together in Indianapolis. This means that the league’s ambassador himself, Adam Silver, was also present and attended the press to talk about so many new subjects, as this season has endured many modifications. 

One of the most important changes in the NBA has been the new Player Participation Policy and 65-game minimum for major awards, which has created a lot of controversy especially between players. Many athletes have come out to say that some of their teammates have felt forced to compete while injured.

According to the commissioner, however, the threshold has been positive. “I’m not ready to say it isn’t working so far,” he said on Saturday. “I can tell you that the number of games that players have participated in is up this season and interestingly enough, injuries are actually down.”

"I think [the 65-game rule] has been very positive…" – Adam Silver 👀

(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/8hUmxxK1Dd

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) February 14, 2024

“Whether that’s meaningful data yet, I don’t know. I think the right time to take a further look at this rule is at the end of the season when we sort of at least have a year under our belt,” the executive added.

To further explain the context, this is the first NBA tournament where players can only miss a total of 17 matches throughout regular season and still be eligible for awards like MVP, Rookie of the Year, or be selected to the All-NBA teams.

About the perceived gap in intensity from regular-season competition to the playoffs, he believes it is only natural. “People often ask me, well, if players aren’t going to play at a certain intensity level for 82 games, does that mean your season should be shorter? I don’t necessarily think that’s the case.

“I think people understand there’s a regular season, they understand there’s playoffs, and they understand the difference between the Finals and the first round [or] a Game 7 and a Game 1. And I think it’s part of the rhythm of the game,” Silver explained.

Silver also addressed the fact that scoring in the NBA is becoming easier, although he believes it has more to do with talent

There is no doubt that modern basketball in the NBA has changed immensely in the past decades, not only with the game’s rule book, but also in the way it is intended to keep growing as a show business, not just as a sport. The league’s top-rated offense is averaging almost 124 points per game while the average this season is 115.6, the highest since 1970.

Also, over the past two competitions, four different players have produced 70+ point games. “I want to dispel any notion that the league feels, or the league office necessarily feels that high-scoring games in the abstract are good,” Silver said. “I think what we want are competitive games. … The skill level is off the charts.”

What better example of change in basketball than this weekend’s All-Star Game in Indianapolis, as it was the highest-point exhibition in the showcase’s history and the Eastern Conference dropped a new record with 211 points.

“Every player at every position has to be able to shoot the ball. … You’re seeing this global pool of talent coming into the league (with) some of the best athletes in the world who can frankly shoot the lights out. I think that’s partly what’s responsible for the increased scoring,” the commissioner concluded.