Every NBA star in danger of missing games-played requirements for postseason awards

Per the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, certain criteria have been introduced for end-of-season awards. In other words, to be named Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, or All-NBA/All-Defensive Team, players must play at least 20-plus minutes in at least 65 regular-season games or play at least 62 games before suffering a season-ending injury and have play a majority of his team's games before that injury.

The NBA did all of this to discourage load management and encourage star players to stay on the court. However, this tiny change could drastically alter the NBA award landscape. As Forbes' Bryan Toperek observed, "This past year, five members of the All-NBA teams — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard — didn't meet the 65-game threshold and thus would have been ineligible had the new rules been in effect."

Justin Russo, a journalist covering the Los Angeles Clippers, shared which players are near the cutoff mark on Twitter. Sure enough, you'll be surprised to see some pretty big names.

Per Justin Russo:

We're about 25 games into the season and Bradley Beal, Ja Morant, Anfernee Simons, and Draymond Green are all already ineligible for an end of season award. Other All-NBA caliber talent at risk of not being selected include Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, and Kyrie Irving.

When you look at where we are in the season, and who's in danger, you know we're bound for some questionable All-NBA selections this year. You can't help but feel frustrated for those players battling injuries. For example, in November, LaMelo Ball averaged 27.3 points, 8.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. Now, even though Ball was injured for most of December, he's still ranked 18th in scoring across all positions, with 24.7 points per game. In total, he can miss no more than 10 games. Is that fair? Tough to say. 

Admittedly, this will certainly add some suspense to what used to be a meaningless 'DNP-Coach's decision.' However, while these revised requirements may make watching the NBA more entertaining during the slow part of the season, it ultimately adds an extra layer of difficulty for players struggling with injuries.