Kia MVP Ladder: How will Nikola Jokić's injury impact award chase?
In an effort to curb "load management" and ensure that the league’s top stars are on the court, the NBA recently implemented a rule stating that a player must appear in at least 65 games to qualify for major awards like MVP or All-NBA honors. While some fans and players feel this is unfair—injuries are often out of a player's control—the league’s logic is simple: to be considered the "Most Valuable" over an 82-game season, you have to actually be there for the majority of it. Historically, MVP winners almost always hit this mark anyway. In fact, since the 82-game schedule became standard, only Bill Walton (1977-78) has won the MVP while playing fewer than 65 games. Other winners like LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo who played fewer games did so during seasons that were shortened by outside factors, not because they missed a large chunk of a full schedule. The Nikola Jokić Dilemma Nikola Jokić has been the undisputed front-runner for the MVP this season.
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