Latest Luka Doncic Injury Diagnosis Calls NBA Awards Rule Into Question

Doncic will be ineligible for any postseason awards following this extended absence

Nov 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to receiving a technical foul during the second half against the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It was announced in the wee hours of Friday morning/Thursday night that Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic would miss at least a month with a calf strain he suffered against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day. Since he's already missed eight games, he's nearly guaranteed to be ineligible for any awards at the end of the season.

The NBA established a new rule entering the 2023-24 season to combat load management from their biggest stars, requiring players to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for awards like MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA Teams, etc. This rule has a lot of ramifications, as these awards are often tied to the maximum value of a contract. Luka Doncic doesn't have to worry about that, but for someone who was on an all-time great trajectory, it will be an odd blip in his resume for someone looking back 20 years from now.

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Doncic made five consecutive First-Team All-NBAs entering this season, joining an elite short list of players who have been able to accomplish that within their first six seasons. As CBS Sports' Jasmyn Wimbish said, "We can agree that some of the load management that was running rampant around the league the last few years was a problem that needed solving... But situations like Doncic's are where these rules fail. There's no way that at season's end, if Doncic finishes out healthy and is operating at his MVP-caliber self, that he shouldn't be on an All-NBA team. The 65-game threshold wasn't put in place to punish players for getting injured, but rather incentivize those who choose to sit out multiple games when they are healthy."

While Luka Doncic wasn't likely to win MVP despite entering the season as the favorite given his "slow" start, he had rebounded in December to look like the superstar we're used to seeing. Continuing that production through the rest of the season would've nearly guaranteed he'd be placed on the All-NBA First-Team once again.

Luka Doncic was averaging 28.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 7.8 APG before he went down with his injury, and had 14 points in 16 minutes of Wednesday's game. He was also averaging 2.0 steals per game, which would be a career-high, showing he's still capable of improving his game.

Doncic just said in an interview last weekend that he's not worried about missing games or being eligible for awards and is focused on being healthy entering the playoffs. That will be the only thing he can focus on now, and maybe he can lift these Mavs through the postseason once again.

READ MORE: Luka Doncic, Devin Booker Headline Injury Report For Mavericks-Suns

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