Bruce Brown played 82 games but doesn’t meet the NBA 65-game rule
Bruce Brown of the Denver Nuggets played the entire regular season but does not meet the eligibility criteria for individual awards due to the minutes-played clause.
Mar 29, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown (11) reacts after a play in the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Photo Credit : © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Bruce Brown played 82 games this season with the Denver Nuggets. Yet, under the NBA 65-game rule for individual award eligibility, the guard did not meet the required conditions. A paradoxical situation that highlights the complexity of the league’s regulations.
The 20-minute clause explains this anomaly
To be frank, as many fans on social media point out, Brown probably wouldn’t have been in contention for an individual award anyway, even though he is a quality defender and a valuable bench contributor. But the situation remains puzzling: the NBA requires a player to appear in at least 65 of the 82 possible regular-season games to win an award.
Brown didn’t miss a single night all season, yet his performances don’t count. How can this contradiction be explained? The NBA also includes a minutes clause in its award criteria. Brown played fewer than 20 minutes on too many occasions – those games are not counted the same way as games where a player exceeds 20 minutes of playing time.
🚨FACT: Bruce Brown played in all 82 games this season but did not meet the requirements of the 65-game rule. pic.twitter.com/M0plU0wFd7
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) April 13, 2026
A complex system that penalizes rotation players
Typically, any player likely to win an award plays well over 20 minutes per game, often between 30 and 40 minutes, barring an early injury. Brown, however, was only a bench rotation piece. His playing time fluctuated and was often not very high.
So he played 82 games in reality, but did not play the 65 games that would count in the eyes of the NBA. Puzzling? Absolutely. But that’s how the league’s current system works, creating situations where a player’s perfect attendance can paradoxically go unrecognized under the official individual award eligibility criteria.
With a background in sports management, Nicolas Flamecourt covers NBA news with a particular passion for the North American league, which he has been following for several years. He also covers the NCAA, including news and scouting of future prospects, and regularly conducts interviews with French players as well as players competing in Europe.
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