On Sunday evening, the San Antonio Spurs closed out their 2025-26 regular season with a tough home loss to the Denver Nuggets. While the Nuggets are still going to be the number two seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs, the loss made their path to get to the NBA Finals this year a lot tougher, considering they now will likely have to face the Nuggets in Round 2.
Not in the lineup on Sunday was superstar Victor Wembanyama, who had played in the previous game in order to secure eligibility for NBA awards by suiting up for his 65th game.
In light of that decision, some are dumping fresh criticism on the rule, which had already been widely panned down the stretch of this season. NBA reporter Nate Duncan pointed out that Wembanyama has played far less minutes (1866) than some players who didn't meet the 65-game threshold, including Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic (2289), Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham (2172), and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (2137).
The fact that Wembanyama was actually on the court far less than these players but still has the eligibility certainly cheapens the authenticity of the award, not that it makes Wembanyama himself any less deserving of the Defensive Player of the Year award he is almost certain to win.
The eligibility rule was put in place for good reason, in order to curb stars' load managing throughout the season, and as the old saying goes, availability is the best ability.
However, it seems that the league might want to go back into the lab and adjust some of the requirements in order to make the framework of the rule more consistent with its spirit.
The Spurs' playoff run is set to begin on Sunday evening against either the Phoenix Suns or Portland Trail Blazers.
