In recent years the load management has been a topic often discussed in the NBA, as many stars prefer to rest a game rather than play even slightly slumped. This has led to a decrease in the number of games played by the best players, with Nikola Jokic perhaps the only exception: in his first season as MVP, the Serbian took the court 72 out of 72 times, while last year he, too, dropped to 74 out of 82.
According to Shams Charania, the NBA and the NBPA are reportedly very close to an agreement to introduce a rule that would prohibit anyone who has not played a minimum number of games (to be determined) from being nominated for MVP. This should also serve to disincentivize load management of superstars, at least if they want to have a chance to win the MVP.
Talks surrounding tying regular season games played to awards, such as MVP, continued in Friday’s Competition Committee meeting among top NBA and Union officials. Sources described the session as extremely productive and jointly motivated conversations. https://t.co/0BKUBNAkQr https://t.co/yZ2ro1ZcQe
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 13, 2023