How many more games can Steph Curry miss and still be eligible for NBA awards?

Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry is on pace to play far fewer games than he did a season ago.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry / Eakin Howard/GettyImages
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With the 2024-25 NBA season nearing its halfway point, more and more pundits are offering up their takes on which players will take home some hardware at season's end, whether it be Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, or any of the other individual awards up for grabs.

It needs to be noted, of course, that eligibility requirements for some of these accolades have changed in recent years, as the league implemented a rule that states that players must appear in at least 65 games and be on the court for at least 20 minutes in those contests in order to be eligible for NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and All-NBA and All-Defense Team selections.

The rule does not apply to Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and All-Rookie Team nods.

There are certain protections built into the rule against season-ending injuries (62 games), near misses in minutes (two games of at least 15 minutes), and bad-faith circumstances. But for the most part, 65 games is the target.

With all this in mind, we thought this would be a good opportunity to check in on where Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry stands regarding his eligibility for any possible awards or accolades down the line.

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Steph Curry is on pace to fall just short of the eligibility requirements for NBA awards

Heading into the Warriors' Tuesday night matchup with the Miami Heat, Curry, who dealt with an ankle injury early in the season and continues to battle bilateral knee pain akin to tendinitis, has missed seven of Golden State's 35 games thus far.

As the 10-time All-Star is expected to suit up against Miami, he'll have appeared in 77.8 percent of games thus far. At that pace, Curry would end the season having played 64 games, which would obviously leave him one short of the number required for the awards for which he'd be eligible, not that there are many that would apply to him at this point.

It's not as if he's having a bad season by any means, as he's averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

But it's no secret that he's not going to win his third MVP, as that race will likely come down to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum maybe having outside shots. Luka Doncic would have been in the mix, but his calf strain is going to cost him too many games to be eligible.

Truth be told, the only accolade that Curry would likely be up for is an All-NBA selection. If eligible, one would think he'd be able to earn at least a Third-Team selection, as he did a season ago.

Curry already has 10 All-NBA nods to his name, earning four First-Team selections (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021), four Second-Team selections (2014, 2017, 2022, 2023), and a pair of Third-Team selections (2018, 2024).

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