Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers’ standout point guard, has been in and out of the lineup in recent weeks with a hamstring issue. Prior to that, Haliburton had established himself as one of the most electrifying point guards in the league, putting up mind-bending stat lines on an almost nightly basis and single-handedly resurrecting a Pacers club that had been locked in irrelevance since the early 2010s.
This year, the NBA reorganized some of its qualifying standards for end-of-season awards, including requiring players to play at least 65 games in order to be considered for some honours, most notably league MVP.
Recently, Haliburton sounded off on this alteration to the regulations, as he approaches the threshold for maximum games missed allowed due to the hamstring ailment.
“I think it’s a stupid rule, like a lot of the guys in the league, but this is what the owners want, so as players, we have to do our job and play 65 games if we can,” Haliburton said, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. “So, that’s what I’ve had to do, take care of my body so that I can play in those games, and I believe you’re seeing other players in the league go through similar experiences. “As long as the owners are pleased.”
Although load management and rest games have been a source of contention in previous seasons when it comes to awards, players missing games due to actual injuries, such as Haliburton’s hamstring injury, are a completely other conversation.
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