10 players ineligible to win 2023-24 NBA awards this season ft. Kyrie Irving & more
As per the league's new rule, a player will need to play a minimum of 65 games for them to become eligible to win NBA awards. They also have to play a minimum of 20 minutes for a game to count. As such, several players have already been disqualified from potentially hoisting a trophy at the end of the season, mostly due to severe injuries that have caused them to miss 17 games or more.
Regardless of how these players perform in the games that they are available in, they can no longer be included among the league's award recipients for this season. Here are ten players who can no longer win NBA awards due to being unable to play the required number of games.
10 players ineligible to win 2023-24 NBA awards this season ft. Kyrie Irving & more
#1 LaMelo Ball (23.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 8.0 APG)
LaMelo Ball's injured ankle has caused him to miss 20 straight games from Nov. 28 to Jan. 10 which immediately disqualified him from being able to win any NBA awards.
Since Jan. 10, he has gone on to miss four more which has not only cost him an opportunity to bag some hardware, but it has messed with the Charlotte Hornets' ability to be competitive.
#2 Gordon Hayward (14.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.6 APG)
Gordon Hayward had just made his first All-Star team and was on track to becoming one of the league's best wings until a gruesome injury caused him to miss the entire 2017-18 season.
He has come back as an effective role player but his career has since been hampered by multiple injuries and this season is no different. He has been sidelined since Dec. 28 and has missed three different games before that as well.
#3 Marcus Smart (14.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.1SPG)
In any given season, Marcus Smart could easily be named into the NBA's All-Defensive teams. However, this season will not be one of those as the 29-year-old defensive stalwart has only played in 20 games and is set to miss several more weeks.
This is quite a shame because if Smart were playing at the same level that he has in the games where he was available, he might even be eligible for two NBA awards, a spot in one of the defensive teams, and Most Improved Player of the Year.
#4 Mitchell Robinson (6.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG)
In Mitchell Robinson's six-year career, he has only played in 310 games. So far, the early part of his career has been a classic "what-if" scenario because if he could remain healthy, he could be a prime DPOY candidate.
Robinson started in all of the New York Knicks' first 21 games this year. On Dec. 11, he played his last game of the season as it was announced a few days later that he would sit out the rest of the campaign due to an ankle injury that required surgery.
#5 Kyrie Irving (25.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.3 APG)
Kyrie Irving will always be a prime candidate to win some NBA awards due to his stellar play. This season is another example of that but he won't be getting one even if he somehow played better than he already has.
By Dec. 30, Irving had already missed 16 games due to a pesky foot injury. Then in the Dallas Mavericks' last five games, he was unavailable due to an injury on his thumb.
#6 Amen Thompson (6.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG)
Could Amen Thompson have been considered for Rookie of the Year knowing that Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama were going to also be playing for the award? Probably not. Would it have been nice if he got the chance? Definitely.
His play this year is nowhere near what was expected of a fourth-overall pick, but perhaps some of that can be attributed to his early injury, which caused him to miss 19 straight games after his first four games.
#7 De'Andre Hunter (14.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG)
Just like the previous guy on this list, De'Andre Hunter is a fourth-overall pick. His offensive stats have looked mostly similar since he entered the NBA with only marginal changes from season to season.
What he does have a chance of winning is one of the NBA awards for defensive-minded players if what he displayed in college is anything to go by. He has not had the chance to show this in the pros though as he's only played in 231 games since entering the league. This season, he has only played in 25 of the Atlanta Hawks' 47 games.
#8 Zach Lavine (19.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.9 APG)
Zach Lavine missed exactly 17 straight games from Nov. 30 to Jan. 3 after being unavailable for one game on Nov. 22.
He has also missed the Chicago Bulls' last six games which means he won't be eligible for any NBA awards even if he comes back and suddenly plays like he did during his All-Star seasons (2021, 2022).
#9 Bradley Beal (17.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 4.3 APG)
Bradley Beal started his stint with the Phoenix Suns on the sidelines as he missed the season's first seven games. He continued that trend throughout the season as he missed another 17 games afterward.
He hasn't missed a game since Dec. 27 but his chances of winning NBA awards have gone out the window.
#10 Ja Morant (25.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 8.1 APG)
From the very beginning of the season, Ja Morant was not going to be eligible to win any NBA awards due to the 25-game suspension that he had to serve.
When he came back, he looked hungry and was ready to make up for the games he missed but that ended abruptly as he was shut down for the season after sustaining a shoulder injury after playing in only nine games.
Joel Embiid is at risk of becoming ineligible to win NBA awards
Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid has always been injury prone and that might cost him from potentially winning his second straight MVP award. The Cameroonian big man had already missed thirteen games this season and is set to miss more after it was reported that he suffered a torn meniscus.