Tyrese Haliburton says Victor Wembanyama will abolish the 65-game rule

Victor Wembanyama is a powerful man. As the clear frontrunner for the next face of the NBA, the league is going to acquiesce to make sure he has every opportunity to add mystique to his lore. That's basically what Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton suggested on a newly released episode of LeBron James' Mind the Game show on YouTube.

"I think it's something that will be adjusted. I think a big reason for that is Wemby. For him to not be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year when there's a very good chance that he could win multiple over the course of his career." - Tyrese Haliburton

Now, it's important to be clear that Wemby isn't completely out of the running yet. He's played in 32 of 46 games up to this point, giving him 3 more missed games before running out of sick days. Many are assuming he won't make it there, and the odds are certainly against him, but I'm sure he'll try his best. Regardless, the point stands; something needs to change with this rule, and it likely will because of him.

Wembanyama is too elite defensively to leave him out

This is an optics issue as much as it's a fairness problem. Hali and LeBron expressed their desire to play in games, indirectly blaming the coaching and/or medical staff for the times guys are forced to sit out. They claim that pretty much all players want to play, so it's unfair to penalize them for legitimate injuries or being sat against their wishes. Fair enough. I agree. That's not right.

However, the NBA had to have considered that when they implemented this rule and figured the benefit of trying to force star players into the lineup for more games per season outweighed that pitfall. Complaining employees are something they were prepared to deal with, but now the legitimacy of their accolades is being questioned, and that's a different ball game.

When you hear fans predict that Wembanyama will win multiple DPOYs, you can chalk that up to the fanatic portion of the sports experience. If an analyst says it, you may give it more weight, but at the same time, embellishment happens so often that lofty claims get dismissed as such at a high rate.

But when the players are also acknowledging that one of their peers is monstrous in that way, making the same claims, and giving that kind of praise, you have to stop any doubting and listen. Wemby is so obviously the most impactful defender in the league in everyone's eyes that it's downright laughable to suggest he has no shot at winning the award.

Even the MVP trophy is different in that regard. If Wemby, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic are ineligible and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins back-to-back, the complaints won't be nearly as loud. He's having that level of a season.

Usually, there are several guys with good arguments to win that honor, but not in this case. Vic is head and shoulders above the rest, and that's going to spark change for the better because if they don't, fans will stop taking them seriously. That's power.