Knicks guard ineligible for end-of-season award for completely bogus reason

Over the last few days, several media members have released how they voted in the NBA's end-of-season awards. New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson has been a common name on ballots for an All-NBA Team, and even Tom Thibodeau's popped up for Coach of the Year.

One player who should be eligible for an award but isn't is Donte DiVincenzo. He should be in the running for Most Improved Player but doesn't meet the criteria, even though he played in 81 of 82 regular-season games and logged a career-high 2,360 minutes. If you're confused, you're not alone!

This season, the NBA established that players must play 65 games to be eligible for awards. DiVincenzo meets that criteria, but here's the kicker: Players need to play at least 20 minutes, which is where the guard came up short.

"DiVincenzo finished the regular season with 62 such appearances. The league allows for a tiny bit of leeway, giving players credit for up to two more 20-minute showings if they log between 15 and 20 minutes of playing time. But even with those tacked on, DiVincenzo -- who played a whopping 52 minutes in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bulls -- comes up short, with credit for just 64 qualifying appearances."

- Chris Herring, ESPN

Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo ineligible for Most Improved Player

The NBA's decision to establish the 65-game rule made sense, but the league needs to alter the minutes requirement. DiVincenzo wasn't a starter at the beginning of the season, but he replaced Quentin Grimes in the starting lineup and averaged 29.1 minutes in the 81 games he played.

He deserves to be in the conversation, even though Tyrese Maxey will likely win the award. DiVincenzo had the best regular season of his career by far, averaging 15.5 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the field and 40.1% from three. After a career year in Golden State, DiVincenzo has upped his value even more in New York. He's been everything the Knicks dreamed of, plus more.

DiVincenzo likely doesn't care about his ineligibility, as he's focused on the playoffs, but even he could admit it doesn't make sense. Fix it, NBA!