Heat's Bam Adebayo Can't Believe NBA Needs a Rule to Have Players Play in Games

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is still surprised the NBA had to create a rule requiring players to appear in a minimum number of games to be eligible for awards.

Speaking to ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks, Adebayo explained the rule "doesn't affect how I think about basketball," but thinks it's wild "we have to have a rule that you have to play games, just because in my mind, I feel like everybody loves basketball the way I do."

In an attempt to help combat some of the load-management issues that have popped up in recent years, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association negotiated a policy into the new collective bargaining agreement requiring players to appear in at least 65 games to win regular-season awards.

The rule has become a talking point recently, because Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, who is also the reigning MVP, is nearing the threshold for games he can miss after sitting out seven of nine games before Monday because of knee and ankle injuries.

Embiid ranked first in Bontemps' first MVP straw poll that was released on Dec. 21. He leads the NBA in scoring average (34.9 points per game) and recorded a double-double with 41 points and 10 assists in 31 minutes against the Houston Rockets on Monday in his first game since Jan. 5.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Embiid said he's "not going to force myself or push for" a second straight MVP award if it means jeopardizing his long-term availability for the 76ers.

The Heat are also facing that situation with one of their best players. Jimmy Butler has already missed 15 games because of toe and calf injuries. He returned after a seven-game absence on Monday, scoring 31 points in 40 minutes in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

In those two instances, Butler and Embiid weren't playing because of significant injuries that kept them out for multiple consecutive games. It's much different than when teams used to rest star players together, especially for nationally televised contests that are meant to showcase the best players in the league.