NBA

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green believes the injury to 76ers center Joel Embiid was a direct result of the NBA’s new rule requiring players to play at least 65 games to qualify for awards.

After missing the previous three games with knee soreness, Embiid returned to action Tuesday night against the Warriors. Throughout his 30 minutes of playing time, the 29-year-old was visibly hobbled and struggled to get into any kind of scoring rhythm. The bad night got even worse when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid’s leg during a play. The center’s knee briefly hyperextended and he stayed on the ground writhing in pain for extended period of time.

So far this season, Embiid has played in 34 of the 76ers’ 46 games, already missing 12, and will likely be sidelined for an extended period of time, thus almost certainly knocking him out of the running for awards.

Per the terms of the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, players can only miss a total of 17 games before becoming ineligible for awards like MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and All-NBA honors. Embiid can only miss five more games this season before facing this fate.

Speaking on his podcast that night, Green thought Embiid forced himself back too soon.