In the wake of Tony Allen‘s jersey retirement ceremony in Memphis, John Hollinger of The Athletic revisits Allen’s six All-Defensive seasons for the Grizzlies and notes that the veteran guard wouldn’t have made All-Defense in five of those six years if the NBA’s current 65-game rule had been in place.
The 65-game rule doesn’t simply require players to appear in at least 65 games to earn end-of-season award consideration — it requires them to reach the 20-minute threshold in at least 63 games and to play 15 or more minutes in two others.
Allen came up short of 65 total games in three of his six All-Defensive seasons and had fewer than 63 games of 20-plus minutes in two additional seasons, despite making more than 65 appearances in each of those two years. His résumé isn’t unique among All-Defensive honorees. As Hollinger points out, the entire All-Defense second team in 2021/22 would have fallen short of the 65-game requirement.
With defensive standouts like Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis on track to play fewer than 65 games this season, there could be some spots on this year’s All-Defensive teams up for grabs for less obvious candidates. But a few of the league’s most impactful defensive role players are already ineligible for award consideration.
Hollinger singles out Clippers guard Kris Dunn as a prime example. Dunn leads the NBA in defensive box plus-minus and ranks second in the league in steal percentage, behind Dyson Daniels. He also ranks third among qualified players in deflections per 36 minutes and has been a driving force behind a Clippers defense that has the third-best defensive rating in the NBA.
Dunn has also played in 60 games this season, putting him on pace to exceed the 65-game minimum, but he has played 20-plus minutes in just 44 of those contests. With only 14 games left in the Clippers’ season, Dunn will fall short of the games-played requirement for award consideration, despite a strong case for All-Defense.
Kings guard Keon Ellis is in the same boat, Hollinger observes. Another player with high marks in categories like defensive box plus-minus, steal percentage, and deflections per 36 minutes, Ellis has appeared in 64 games but reached the 20-minute mark in only 41 of them, so he won’t reach the required minimum either.
Cason Wallace, one of the Thunder‘s best defenders, will need to play 20-plus minutes in 10 of the team’s final 14 games to qualify for award consideration. Rockets wing Amen Thompson, currently sidelined due to an ankle sprain, is still seven 20-minute games shy of the required minimum.
Pistons big man Jalen Duren recently argued that his frontcourt mate Isaiah Stewart deserves a spot on an All-Defensive team, and Fred Katz of The Athletic agreed. However, Stewart has long been ineligible for consideration — he has logged at least 20 minutes in just 24 of his 62 outings this season.
The 65-game rule currently only applies to certain awards. A player doesn’t have to meet the criteria in order to qualify for Rookie of the Year, an All-Rookie team, or Sixth Man of the Year.
In Hollinger’s view, All-Defense should get the same treatment, with the 65-game rule either relaxed or eliminated, since players who receive All-Defensive consideration often play much different roles than players who get votes for awards like MVP and All-NBA.
What do you think? Should the requirements of the 65-game rule apply for All-Defensive candidates? Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents.
How about this: create a two-tiered system, one for players who average starter minutes (say, 28-30mpg+) over the course of a season and one for everyone else. The former group should be held to the current standard (although I would lower the required games played total from 65 to 60) while the latter group should be held to the same games played standard but without a minimum minutes requirement.
No reason this should be a difficult issue to solve.
It is kinda already in place. They already have a 1st and 2nd defensive teams.
Kinda hard to get worked up about something like that either way TBH
And yet, you took the time to read the story (I assume) and comment.
All these rules on awards are so stupid. Do we think guys like Kris Dunn and Keon Ellis not meeting awards thresholds really what these player participation initiatives seek to solve?
I would argue them not meeting the thresholds is EXACTLY what it was out to solve. Plenty of more deserving players once you sit down and list them all out.
Shea, those are excellent suggestions. I see the benefits of a two-tiered system.
But… I argue that anybody that doesn’t average >20 mpg in the games that they DO play shouldn’t be considered for an All-Defense or All-NBA award. These awards are not given for “specialists” that get played situationally, but for players that deliver value for at least 1/2 of every game.
Players that give lots of bad fouls are too often given credit as great defenders. Draymond gets a lot of fouls, but he uses them intelligently, so his minutes are rarely limited for this reason. Isiah Stewart is the opposite. Stewart gets way too many fouls, especially *bad* fouls, and that limits his minutes. (Only Pistons’ teammate Jalen Duren gets more bad fouls than Stewart). Stewart needs to be smart enough that he can play an entire game before he can be considered a great defender.
I agree, but how often have guys won who average less than 20mpg over a full season? Can’t imagine it would be many. But if I would be wrong about that then yeah, you’d definitely want to introduce that as a minimum floor in terms of average.
Imo there should be a minimum number of games played that can overrule a “not meeting the minutes played” minimum. I don’t know exactly what is the correct number for both but something like 65-70 games played and no minutes restriction or 50-55 games but a total minutes played minimum. The total minutes played minimum (instead of having to play x amount of minutes for x amount of games) will also help for guys who played heavy minutes but suffered a late season injury.
Anyone else remember Monta Ellis? Thought this article was about him for all minute and I was like what? Lol
Players who DO qualify for All-Defense Teams
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jrue Holiday, Chris Paul
SG: Lu Dort, Dyson Daniels, Derrick White, Jaylen Wells, Christian Braun, Andrew Nembhard
SF: Jalen Williams, Jaden McDaniels, Amen Thompson, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, OG Anunoby, Derrick Jones Jr
PF: Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson Jr, Draymond Green, Toumani Camara, Giannis Antetekounmpo, Pascal Siakam
C: Rudy Gobert, Jarrett Allen, Ivica Zubac, Bam Adebayo, Brook Lopez, Nic Claxton, Myles Turner
The system is working as intended by eliminating players like Dunn (Zubac should be getting the credit) and Keon Ellis (who is a backup guard on a team 20th in DRTG).
Players who PLAY should be taking priority over second unit role players.
Players like Dunn would only sniff the team if they still restricted by positions (he’s at best what, the #5-6 guard?). There is no plausible argument he should get any votes ahead of ten of the numerous frontcourt players who play substantial roles.
Dunn has been a great story turning his career around. But sometimes these writers need to be protected from themselves. His STOCK rates are higher because he can afford to take more chances knowing he’s only playing half the game (hence why he also has a high foul rate).
It’s a much different assignment than say, OG Anunoby playing 37 MPG and having to stay out of foul trouble while covering the opposing team’s best wing.
I don’t want awards to go to often injured players. It’s that simple. Awards are for people who play consistently.
All Defense is a seasonal award, and thus should be about seasonal impact over 82 games (regardless of how many the player plays). The league put in the PT thresholds because the voting media lost their understanding of that, or just lacked the discipline not to be led astray from it. Adjusting the thresholds downwards would only add to the wrongheaded notion that the “best defenders” (2k or metrics) have some entitlement to the award, regardless of their impact on the league that year.
I think the 65 rule game is good for these awards as they effect the paydays…
All of these crippled teams over the years because they’ve given a Zion massive contracts due to their rookie contract performances in breif stints…
Those who can’t do the most important thing in sports, be available, shouldn’t get the big paychecks or the accolades that triggers those clauses in the CBA…