Quite a bit was misplaced when Victor Wembanyama was dominated out for the 2024-25 season throughout the All-Star break resulting from deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, and it wasn’t simply potential wins for a Spurs group that had postseason aspirations. With simply 46 video games performed, he was deemed ineligible for awards such Defensive Participant of the 12 months (which by all accounts he would have gained had he certified), in addition to All-NBA and All-Defensive groups as a result of he didn’t meet 65-game threshold.
Nevertheless, there may be one title he shall be in a position hold due to an exception within the NBA rule e-book. In the case of being known as a stat chief for a season, the necessities are barely extra lenient: as an alternative of 65 video games, a participant should take part in 70% of a group’s video games, so 58 video games in an 82-game season, for many total-based stats. (Some stats, comparable to capturing percentages and ratios, require a minimal variety of makes an attempt.) After all, Wemby didn’t attain 58 video games both, however there may be an exemption that enables him to nonetheless qualify.
On the NBA’s stat minimal necessities web page, you possibly can see what the thresholds are. (For instance, regardless of hitting 92.4% of his free throws, 3% greater than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul is not going to qualify because the chief as a result of he solely had 94 makes an attempt, however 125 makes is required.) Beneath all that, there may be an exception that enables gamers who don’t meet the thresholds to nonetheless qualify:
The one exception to this rule shall be if, on the finish of the season, the participant would have led the league within the class had he performed the required variety of video games along with his present class whole. For instance, if Participant A performed 56 video games and scored 1,590 factors (28.4 ppg), Participant A might nonetheless qualify for the league lead if his common (27.4) with that very same level whole (1,590) over 58 video games was greater than another participant. A previous instance: Myles Turner recorded 159 blocks in 47 video games (3.38 bpg) in a 72-game season in 2020-21, when the video games performed qualifier was 51. Turner would have nonetheless led the league in blocks as a result of his common with 51 video games (3.12 bpg) would have been better than the two.68 bpg of Rudy Gobert, the chief amongst gamers who met the 51-game qualifier.
Regardless of which approach you slice it, Wemby would have led the league in blocks if he had performed in 58 video games as a result of, effectively, he did anyhow. Regardless of solely taking part in in 46 video games, Wemby nonetheless led the whole NBA in whole blocks with 176 — 28 greater than runner-up Brook Lopez, who had 148 blocks in 80 video games performed. When adjusted to 58 video games performed (so 176 divided by 58), Wemby would have nonetheless averaged simply over 3 blocks per recreation, effectively forward of runner-up Walker Kesler’s 2.4 in 58 video games, that means Wemby qualifies for blocks chief underneath this exception. (It’s price nothing that one stat he doesn’t qualify for is blocks per 48 min since that requires a minimal of two,000 minutes performed, and there are not any exceptions.)
If you happen to want proof that these exceptions are being utilized to Wemby, you possibly can click on on the hyperlinks above to see than the league does have him because the league chief in whole blocks and blocks per recreation, however he his nowhere to be present in blocks per 48 minutes.
So, there you could have it. Wemby could have been robbed of a minimum of two potential resume-building awards in DPOY and the All-Protection group (each of which matter in direction of his contract extension), however a minimum of he will get to maintain the title of Block King this season, and he’ll be again for the opposite two for a lot of seasons to return. Whoever wins DPOY this yr ought to covet it dearly, as a result of it is probably not obtainable for some time — a minimum of not till voter fatigue units in.
