How many more games can SGA miss before being ineligible for NBA awards?

OKLAHOMA CITY — If Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander miss 11 more games, he will be disqualified from NBA awards for the 2025-26 season. Gilgeous-Alexander remains the MVP favoriteaccording to the latest ESPN poll, after missing five straight games and on pace to make it six. Ahead of the game against the Brooklyn Nets, Thunder head coach Mark Dayno addressed the hot topic on Friday.

On his heels Thunder’s announcement that Gilgeous-Alexander will be re-evaluated in a week, he is expected to miss the next four games. Daigneault discussed the NBA 65 games minimum during his pregame media availability.

“There are so many other people who think about this stuff a lot, and I think about the Thunder, and I think about my kids — that’s all I really think about,” Daigneault said. “So I don’t know. I’m not going to get into that. As far as decisions go, we’re always going to prioritize the welfare of our players – him and everybody else.”

“If we’re put in a situation where we have to make a decision about somebody’s health and well-being, we’re going to make that a priority because the downside of it is too big. Shai understands that. The guys understand that. The 65-game thing, obviously, everybody’s aware of, and we want all of our players to qualify for that.”

That’s the goal Daigneault has set for each of his players. However, that’s from the Thunder team’s point of view, not out of a desire to see its players win awards and accolades from the NBA.

“Not because of the awards, but because we want to prioritize availability,” Daigneault added. “But when guys have something going on, we’re always cautious and we’re always as conservative as we can because it’s the best thing for our team, and more importantly, for their individual careers.”

The Thunder will face the Nets without Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajayi Mitchell.

New Thunder injury schedule for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Thunder All Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss at least another week with an abdominal injury. Ajay Mitchell is dealing with the same injury with a sprained left ankle, and Jalen Williams is out will be re-evaluated in two weeks due to a sprained right hamstring.

As Thunder head coach Mark Daigno noted, the defending champions, ahead of an expected deep playoff run, will always prioritize long-term player health over regular season games and NBA awards. The Thunder appear to be in no rush to bring back Gilgeous-Alexander, and the same could be said for Williams and Mitchell.