As one of the players who began load managing, franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard had legitimate reasons for consistently resting during the year. His injury history is highly complex, and trainers advised the coaches to avoid playing Leonard in back-to-back sets to relieve tension in his knees.
On the contrary, several other stars in both conferences began to notice how sitting out did not affect eligibility for regular-season honors. Hence, more stars hopped on the load-managing train. This initially worked, but the NBA soon made a patch by requiring players to play for at least 20 minutes in 65 games.
The solution was immediately effective, as several players would have incentives in their contracts if they notched certain accomplishments. Leonard, on the other hand, still rests due to injury management, proving his case valid.
Conversely, the 65-game criteria never factored in those who earned recognition for their play but would face harsh injuries along the way. This rule was simply put into effect to prevent the best from unreasonable actions.
A real-life example is Norman Powell, who is having a spectacular year with the Clippers. He deserves to be called on the big stage but will miss out because of a benchmark the NBA must adjust.
LA Clippers' star scorer Norman Powell deserves to win Most Improved Player but is ineligible
In a similar fashion to defensive stud Kris Dunn, Norman Powell will not be able to win an award he is worthy of because he missed too many games. The best he can finish at is 61 games, which is four shy of the bare minimum.
Furthermore, Powell is averaging 22.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, shooting close to 50% from the field(48.9) and 42.5% from long range. This is ridiculous, as he attempts 16.1 shots per night.
The season prior, Powell posted 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 48.6% from the floor and 43.5% from three.
Moreover, his points increase is the highest in the NBA, and his efficiency did not encounter a massive drop. However, because Powell injured his hamstring, he was removed from the race. This is a lack of fairness, as he was the frontrunner before the all-star break.
The NBA should reduce the minimum by 5-15 games to consider a player like Powell. This may be slightly less impactful, but it gives those who were seriously injured a chance to be honored.