We’ve officially hit the midway mark of the 2025-26 NBA season, and with it comes a familiar subplot that’s becoming more and more impactful: the league’s 65-game minimum rule for postseason awards. Now in its third year, the policy was designed to curb load management and make sure the league’s biggest honors go to players who are actually on the floor. So far, it’s done its job-but not without collateral damage.
In the first two seasons under this rule, the casualties were relatively minor. Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns, Cade Cunningham, and Jamal Murray all missed the mark in Year 1, but none were considered locks for All-NBA or major awards even if they had cleared the threshold.
Year 2? A little messier.
Victor Wembanyama’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign was derailed by a health scare. Luka Doncic was limited to 50 games due to injury.
Kevin Durant and Jaylen Brown came up just a few games short. Jalen Brunson barely cleared the bar and was rewarded with a Second Team All-NBA nod.
But this year? This year could blow the whole thing wide open.
Nearly half of the league’s top MVP and All-NBA candidates are flirting with ineligibility. Wembanyama has already missed 14 of San Antonio’s first 40 games-he’s on track to fall short again.
Nikola Jokic is in the middle of a prolonged absence with a knee issue and will be walking a tightrope the rest of the way. Giannis Antetokounmpo can only afford to miss three more games.
Luka Doncic is one tweaked hamstring away from falling off the ballot. Steph Curry has already missed 10 games.
Kawhi Leonard is managing his workload like clockwork. And LeBron James?
He’ll need to play in every single remaining game to keep his streak of 21 straight All-NBA selections alive.
And then there’s Minnesota.
Over the first two seasons of the rule, the Timberwolves were mostly unaffected. Anthony Edwards was a model of durability, suiting up for 79 games in 2023-24 and earning his second straight Second Team All-NBA nod.
Rudy Gobert played 76 games and claimed his fourth Defensive Player of the Year trophy, tying the all-time record. Naz Reid missed just one game en route to winning Sixth Man of the Year.
The only near-miss was Towns, who might have snuck onto an All-NBA team had he logged four more games.
Last season, the story was similar. Edwards played another 79 games and repeated as a Second Team All-NBA selection.
Gobert saw a slight dip in his DPOY standing but still played 72 games and made the All-Defensive Second Team. Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Reid all cleared the 65-game bar, even if they weren’t in serious contention for postseason honors.
But this year, things are getting dicey.
Edwards, who had missed just 19 games total in his first five NBA seasons, has already sat out eight of Minnesota’s first 41 games. He’s set to miss another one against Houston, bringing his total to nine. That puts him on pace for just over 62 games this season-below the eligibility line.
The injuries haven’t been catastrophic, but they’ve been enough to interrupt his iron man streak. He missed four games early with a hamstring strain, then three more in December due to a foot issue that’s still lingering into January. He also played just three minutes in a game against Indiana before exiting with that hamstring injury-under league rules, that appearance doesn’t count toward the 65-game minimum.
And that’s a shame, because Edwards is in the midst of a breakout campaign. He’s averaging 28.9 points, five rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting a blistering 50% from the field, nearly 41% from deep, and 78.7% from the line.
He’s the engine behind a Timberwolves team that’s just a game out of second place in the Western Conference. When healthy, he’s looked like a lock for a third straight All-NBA nod-and with so many stars missing time, there’s even a path to First Team if he can stay on the court.
That’s the question now: can he?
The Timberwolves’ medical staff and head coach Chris Finch will have to navigate that tightrope carefully. The All-Star break should offer Edwards a chance to rest his foot, and while he’s a near-lock to make his fourth consecutive All-Star team, sitting out the game-like he did last year-might be the smart play if Minnesota wants him fresh for a postseason push.
The good news for the Wolves? Everyone else in the rotation is holding up just fine.
Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo have all suited up for every game so far. Gobert missed his first contest of the season due to a one-game suspension for flagrant foul accumulation-a situation worth monitoring, as each additional flagrant from here on out means a two-game ban. Jaden McDaniels has only missed two games.
So the Wolves are in good shape overall. But Edwards is the headliner, the face of the franchise, and the guy who sets the tone on both ends. If he can shake off these minor injuries and get back to his usual workload, he’ll almost certainly clear the 65-game bar and continue his ascent among the league’s elite.
But if he misses even a handful more, it could cost him a spot on the All-NBA team-and possibly more. For a player having the best season of his career, that would be a tough pill to swallow.