You can play 52 minutes and 30 seconds last Sunday, be in the Top 50 players who have spent the most time on the court this season and not be able to claim an end-of-season trophy for… a matter of minutes played. Several journalists had the unpleasant surprise of discovering that it was not possible to vote in favor of Donte DiVincenzo for the title of Most Improved Player, the best progression of the season. At issue are the CBA regulations, the collective agreement between the NBA and the players. The Knicks player is only missing a few seconds of play this season to be eligible.
To be eligible for votes in one of the individual awards, a player must play at least 65 matches, or 62 in the case of a serious injury causing an early end to the season. But also accumulate at least 20 minutes played for a match to be considered “contested”, with a tolerance of two matches maximum with a playing time between 15 and 20 minutes. Problem for DiVincenzo, in these criteria, he played “only” 64 games, including 62 with more than 20 minutes.
Four games one possession away from reaching the required 20 minutes
This 65-game rule and its various subtleties had already caused annoyance among other players this season, Tyrese Haliburton in the lead. The example of the Knicks back should also get people talking. Having become an essential pawn of Tom Thibodeau, Donte DiVincenzo has averaged 29.1 minutes, and even 37.5 since the All-Star Game. But his more limited playing time at the start of the season deprived him of a chance of a trophy.
Everything depends on nine seconds missing against the Magic on December 2, 11 seconds against Spurs on November 8, 20 seconds on October 28 in New Orleans, or 23 seconds against Miami on January 27… The time of barely one possession, while the NBA does not round up the minutes in the stats lines.
Donte DiVincenzo was, however, a serious candidate for the MIP with clearly increasing numbers, from 9.4 points last season with the Warriors, to 15.5 with the Knicks. The guard also set the record for long shots in a season for a New York player (283, 40.1% from distance), even reaching the league podium ahead of Klay Thompson and just one behind Luka Doncic. . Insufficient therefore, and it is not the only file to be overlooked for a regulatory question. His teammate Isaiah Hartensetein, very solid during the absence of Mitchell Robinson, or Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors) are also ineligible for a matter of minutes.
| Donte DiVincenzo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | MIL | 27 | 15 | 40.3 | 26.5 | 75.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 4.9 |
| 2019-20 | MIL | 66 | 23 | 45.5 | 33.6 | 73.3 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 9.2 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 66 | 28 | 42.0 | 37.9 | 71.8 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 10.4 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 42 | 24 | 35.1 | 33.9 | 84.3 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 9.1 |
| 2021-22 * | BAG | 25 | 27 | 36.2 | 36.8 | 83.9 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 10.3 |
| 2021-22 * | MIL | 17 | 20 | 33.1 | 28.4 | 85.2 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 7.2 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 72 | 26 | 43.5 | 39.7 | 81.7 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 9.4 |
| 2023-24 | NYK | 81 | 29 | 44.3 | 40.1 | 75.4 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 15.5 |
| Total | 354 | 25 | 42.8 | 37.6 | 77.1 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
