Translation:
Beijing time on January 13, the Mavericks hosted the Nuggets at home, and Doncic continued to miss the game due to a calf injury. This is the 17th game he has missed this season, in addition, he also played only 16 minutes and 13 seconds (less than 20 minutes) in one game. This means that he has officially become ineligible for this season's MVP, All-NBA Team, and other regular-season awards.
The NBA official rules stipulate that all players participating in the award must play at least 65 games and play at least 20 minutes per game; otherwise, they will not be eligible to participate in the regular-season awards.
So far this season, Doncic has played 22 games, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2 steals per game. He has previously been selected to the All-NBA First Team for five consecutive years.
This season, many stars have failed to meet the eligibility criteria for awards, including Leonard, Embiid, Zion, Banchero, and Holmgren. Mavericks head coach Kidd said, "I think this is just part of the current rules. When you have a serious injury, you may lose your eligibility for awards, but we know he is one of the best players. He has always been considered an MVP candidate."
In the year-end battle against the Timberwolves, Doncic left the court with crutches and underwent an MRI the next day, which showed a left calf strain. He will be re-evaluated at the end of January this year. This season, Doncic has had many injuries. Previously, he missed 5 games due to a sprained right wrist, 2 games due to a bruised left heel, and 1 game due to a knee contusion. He also missed the entire training camp and preseason due to a bruised left calf.
Doncic returned to the training hall yesterday and conducted individual spot shooting drills with assistant coach Marco Milić. His progress has encouraged Kidd. "It's great to see him doing spot shooting," said Kidd, "He works very hard on and off the court, and I hope he can recover soon and return to the court."
Although he missed the honor of being eligible for awards this season, Doncic is still eligible to sign a supermax contract extension with the Mavericks during the offseason because he was selected to the All-NBA Team in both 2023 and 2024.