As the season is knocking on the door, the 76ers face a tough blow. According to ESPN’s injury report, both Joel Embiid and Paul George are ‘out’ because of their knee injuries. This keeps both the starting veterans sidelined in their season opener against the Bucks. But, what’s worse is The Process is out for the entire week’s games against the Raptors and the Pacers, re-evaluation later this week. However, his absence raises questions and insider Brian Windhorst has something strong to say about it.

Windy, on The Hoop Collective, remarked, “I don’t have all the information, which is certainly possible. I strive to do my best, but I don’t think Joel Embiid has an injury here. I think this is essentially maintenance, and I think he’s not ready to play.”

“For lack of a better way to say it, or at least somebody made the evaluation that he’s not ready to play. He doesn’t need to be playing in October, but you know, it’s not great.” This raises eyebrows, whether he’s injured or not. Especially when the Sixers had earlier said he was “responding well” in his rehab. After he suffered the dramatic injury against the Warriors in Jan, where Kuminga accidentally fell on his left leg in a loose-ball situation, leading to surgery. Even then, he played for Team USA in the Olympics.

Windy further highlighted the possible implications of Joel Embiid’s approach, noting the importance of the 65-game rule and the player participation policy for the eventual eligibility in the NBA’s end-of-season awards. “We talked about this earlier in the preseason. Bontemps went to training camp down in the Bahamas and talked to Embiid, and Embiid told him he’s probably not going to play back-to-backs (15 this season) the rest of his career probably. We’re not going to hold him to that kind of stuff.”

He further stated, “Basically, he said he’s not focused on awards; that’s code for, ‘I’m not even trying to play 65 games.'” This would upset NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who often emphasizes hoopers play the most number of games they can. “We needed to incentivize players, particularly star players, to play more games.” the league’s commissioner once said.

The NBA’s 65-game rule highlights the delicate balance between players, their competitive integrity, and teams straight up resting players for a big game next. With certain awards tied to this requirement, teams face pressure to manage star players effectively.

What happens when players don’t play 65 games in the NBA?

With Joel Embiid in this situation, it highlights broader trends in the NBA regarding player management. The league established the 65-game rule in the 2022-23 season for the end-of-season awards, mainly. This rule incentivizes players to participate consistently (at least 20 minutes in each game) in the regular season. Other than playing at least 65 games, it also wants players who played in at least 62 regular-season games and suffered a season-ending injury- to participate in at least 85% of their team’s games before the injury.

Failing to meet the 65-game requirement affects eligibility for specific awards only. These awards include Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Interestingly, even All-NBA team honors require players to meet the hard-set threshold.

While winning the award is a thing of pride, many hoopers also have certain bonuses or extensions, sometimes even hundreds of millions in their next contract hinging on whether they make an All-NBA side!

However, other awards do not require 65 games. Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year have different eligibility criteria. The NBA will likely choose not to impose stricter requirements on these awards. Additionally, players starting more than half their games can’t win Sixth Man. So, as the 76ers manage Joel Embiid’s availability, will his approach to the 65-game rule affect his eligibility for major awards this season? What do you think? Let us know in the comment session below.