Rockets Kevin Durant Doesn't Expect NBA's 65-Game Mandate to Last

Load management has been an ongoing debate in the NBA. The legends of yesteryear vehemently push back against the idea of sitting games.

They loathe it.

The "Macho Man" mindset and temperament of athletes draws outrage to the practice.

Or even the idea.

The analytics and datapoints validate it.

Players ' careers are lasting much longer. Houston Rockets superstar forward Kevin Durant is in his 19th season and is one of four players still playing from his 2007 draft class.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar and NBA's all-time leading scorer LeBron James is in his 23rd season. It's unimaginable for a player to be starting in the NBA at age 41, much less still playing at a relatively high level (James averages 20.9 points, 6.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 50.8 percent from the field).

Golden State Warriors generational sharpshooter Stephen Curry is in his 17th season, posting averages of 28.7 points, 39.4 percent from long-range on 12.1 attempts (second-most of his career).

But it puts fans in a relatively bad spot, particularly as it pertains to buying tickets and attending games. What if hard-working parents decide to reward their kids with an opportunity to see their favorite NBA players in person and decide to buy tickets, only to find out said player (or players) are sitting out, due to rest?

It also creates a bad look for the league in a prime time game that draws a national audience, if the stars of the game become a late healthy scratch, due to rest.

It makes matters even more confusing, as it pertains to end of year accolades. Should players who sit significant amounts of the season be rewarded with All-NBA honors?

Or any honors, for that matter.

The league ultimately implemented a 65-game mandate, requiring players to play at least 80 percent of the season, in order to qualify for any semblance of accolades.

That's not quite the one-size-fits-all remedy either, though.

(Side note, is there ever really a one-size-fits-all in anything?)

Case in point, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who was easily the league's best defender last season and the runaway favorite for Defensive Player of the Year.

Wembanyama suffered a season-ending injury at the 46-game mark and wasn't eligible for the award.

This season, Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic went down with a knee injury at the 32-game mark and is expected to miss at least a month of time.

Jokic will have to play at least 33 more games in order to qualify for season-long honors, of which he was expected to be a strong candidate for the MVP award, alongside Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The league has a tough conundrum on their hands, clearly.

Durant shared his thoughts on the league's bind, while explaining on social media that he doesn't expect this to be an issue much longer.

"I’ve gotten used to the 65 game threshold now. The nba office is listening, they usually try to accommodate fans, I think the rule was implemented because fans and media were complaining, not because load management. Just like the ASG, in season tourney and play in tourney. So I’m sure they’ll change it back once more media and fans have a problem with it"

It'll be interesting to see how league commissioner Adam Silver addresses the situation moving forward (if at all).