NBA

10 Stars Now Ineligible For NBA Regular Season Awards

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Vivek Jacob
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Vivek Jacob Sports Editor

Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.

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Sports Editor

Updated5 hours ago on January 19, 2025

10 Stars Ineligible

Half the NBA season is complete and there is already a big list of stars ineligible for awards at the end of the season.

In case you need a reminder, the league mandated a 65-game minimum rule last year in order to be eligible for awards such as Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA, All-Defensive, and Most Improved.

Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie teams, and Sixth Man of the Year awards are exempt from this rule.

Miss 18 games or more and you are out of contention. That works out to playing at least roughly 80 percent of the season. Here are 10 stars who are already out of the mix:

Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)

2024-25 Season: 28.1 PTS, 8.3 REB, 7.8 AST, 2.0 STL. 54.4 eFG%. 22 games played.
Previous awards: 5x All-NBA.

Doncic would have been firmly in the MVP discussion if not for injury. Having finished third a year ago, the expectation entering the season was that the Slovenian would have pushed to do a couple spots better fresh off leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

His numbers are actually down from last season, but Dallas was having more team success relative to a year ago until his calf injury on Christmas day.

Doncic will now have to settle for winning big in the post-season.

Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

2024-25 Season: 24.4 PTS, 7.9 REB, 3.8 AST, 1.0 BLK. 48.9 eFG%. 13 games played.
Previous awards: 1x MVP, 5x All-NBA, 3x All-Defensive.

This has been a nightmare season for the former MVP. The swelling in Embiid’s left knee just won’t let up and, as a result, he looks unlikely to play even half the season let alone 65.

Even on the limited occasions he’s been on the floor, his numbers are well below the truly elite of elite standard he set for himself. This is the second straight season that Embiid has become ineligible due to the rule.

There’s no questioning his value, as the Sixers are 8-19 without him this season after going 16-27 in his absence a year ago.

Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)

2024-25 Season: 12.3 PTS, 3.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 1.3 STL. 48.8 eFG%. 4 games played.
Previous awards: 6x All-NBA, 7x All-Defensive, 2x DPOY.

Funnily enough, last season was the first time Leonard ended up playing at least 65 games for the Clippers — the first year the league mandated the rule. It was also the first time he had done so since 2016-17.

This season, Leonard only just returned to action a couple weeks ago and has been under a minutes restriction thus far.

Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)

2024-25 Season: 21.4 PTS, 4.3 REB, 7.5 AST, 1.3 STL. 49.7 eFG%. 24 games played.
Previous awards: 1x All-NBA, 1x MIP.

Firstly, it’s great to see Morant back on the court looking his athletic best. The dunk that did not count on Victor Wembanyama is going to live in the memory of many fans for some time.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old has had a bit of the injury bug this season and missed his 18th game on Friday. While his numbers are solid, it’s unlikely they would have been enough to actually crack an All-NBA team this season.

Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)

2024-25 Season: 17.6 PTS, 5.4 REB, 4.6 AST, 1.2 STL. 57.1 eFG%. 23 games played.
Previous awards: 5x All-NBA, 5x All-Defensive, 1x MIP.

For someone who claims he doesn’t value the regular season much and has consistently peaked in the playoffs, it’s actually impressive that Butler has made five All-NBA teams.

This season has taken a serious detour with his trade demands and the seven-game suspension has pretty much sealed his fate. Butler has missed 17 games and is now one away from officially being ineligible.

Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)

2024-25 Season: 21.9 PTS, 8.2 REB, 5.4 AST, 1.2 STL, 1.2 BLK. 49.1 eFG%. 10 games played.
Previous awards: N/A

Williamson is another injury prone player who just so happened to be healthy enough to play at least 65 games last season.

That won’t be the case this season after his struggles to shrug off a hamstring issue, and the Pelicans are playing for ping pong balls because of it (and a bevy of injuries to other players).

Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)

2024-25 Season: 16.4 PTS, 8.7 REB, 2.0 AST, 2.6 BLK. 56.8 eFG%. 10 games played.
Previous awards: N/A

With the way Holmgren started the season, he would have surely been in the mix for an All-Defensive team. All-NBA may have been more tricky, but his right iliac wing fracture has robbed us of that conversation.

What we know is that when Holmgren does return either just before or after the All-Star break, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be that much more lethal.

Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)

2024-25 Season: 26.9 PTS, 7.6 REB, 4.8 AST, 0.8 BLK. 53.9 eFG%. 9 games played.
Previous awards: N/A

Banchero stormed out of the gate and looked to have made a major leap this season. His 50-point game against the Indiana Pacers in late October was a statement performance but the oblique injury soon followed.

He’s only just returned and unfortunately will not be a factor when it comes to award season. With how good Orlando has looked, Banchero would have certainly received some consideration for an All-NBA team.

Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic)

2024-25 Season: 24.4 PTS, 5.6 REB, 5.7 AST, 1.7 STL. 51.9 eFG%. 25 games played.
Previous awards: N/A

It wasn’t just one player in Orlando who looked to have taken his game forward in a major way.

Especially after Banchero was out, Wagner looked absolutely sensational in leading the Magic. His overall numbers have popped in a major way in the points and assists categories and was looking set for a massive December averaging 28.8 points before the unfortunate injury.

The Magic have played 43 games this season and so he is now officially ineligible for awards having missed 18.

Kristaps Porzingis (Boston Celtics)

2024-25 Season: 18.8 PTS, 7.1 REB, 1.6 AST, 1.5 BLK. 54.8 eFG%. 18 games played.
Previous awards: N/A

Porzingis has been an All-Star caliber performer in a Celtics uniform but missed the start of the season due to ankle surgery. He has missed 24 games on the season and so is ineligible for any end-of-season award conversation.