Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is among the latest to voice his opinion on the NBA’s 65-game rule as it relates to Luka Doncic’s situation.
Doncic is ineligible for major postseason awards, as he’s been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA regular season with just 64 games played. The NBA requires players to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for the awards.
Doncic suffered a hamstring injury in his 64th game, against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Following the Mavs’ 134-128 win over Los Angeles on Sunday at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Kidd weighed in on the NBA’s polarizing policy.
“It’s unfortunate. Not just for Luka, but there’s others in that same situation,” Kidd told reporters following the game against the Lakers, via Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.
“Again, Luka is having an MVP season, he was playing at a very, very high level, and for him to get hurt and not to be rewarded for that season, is unfortunate. So hopefully, the NBA will look at these cases and hopefully find a way to make sure that guys don’t get left off the list.”
Before Doncic hurt his hamstring, there was no doubt that he was among the best players in the Association this season. He just had a spectacular March, averaging 37.5 points on 49.2% shooting over 16 games. The former NBA scoring champion was on track to make an All-NBA team and be among the top considerations for the 2026 NBA MVP award.
Those are no longer on the table for Doncic, but what likely hurts him more is his inability to help the Lakers on the court due to his injury.
There is no definite timeline on Doncic’s return, but many expect him to miss at least the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
