NBA Awards
Now that the NBA has announced their awards, I will finally discuss them. I originally planned to say who I predicted would be the finalists, but then the finalists were announced just before I finished and planned on publishing that post. After that, I planned on making my official predictions and reactions for the awards…only for Sixth Man of the Year to be announced as I was finishing that post. I conceded and waited until all the awards were announced before I made this blog post, so we’ve finally reached this point. I included discussions about the finalists, my reactions (though I think all of the finalists are justifiable), who I would have voted for as the first bonus, and my grades for the Kemba Walker trade as the second bonus.
NBA Award Winners
For this, I have included the 3 finalists for all the awards
with the exception of MVP; for this, I listed the top 5 since there are 5 spots
on the ballot.
Most Valuable Player
1. Nikola Jokic, DEN
2. Joel Embiid, PHI
3. Stephen Curry, GSW
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
5. Chris Paul, PHO
I’m not particularly surprised
about the top 3 or the top 5. Jokic had
the counting stats (26.4 PPG/10.8 RPG/8.3 APG), the shooting splits (56.6 FG%/38.8
3P%/60.2 2P%), advanced stats (31.3 PER, 15.6 WS, 8.6 VORP, 64.7 TS%, 11.7
BPM), played improved defense (1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 3.4 DWS), the narrative (Jamal
Murray being injured), the record (the Nuggets finished 3rd with a
47-27 record), and the durability (finished 3rd in minutes and
played every game). He was dominant and
totally changed the Nuggets. Embiid was
one of the most dominant player in the game, finishing with 28.5/10.8/8.3 for
counting stats, thrived on the defensive end (1.0 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 3.2 DWS), and was
so valuable for the 76ers, finishing with 8.8 WS; the fact that he still
finished second while missing 21 games shows how dominant he was this
year. Curry led the league in scoring (32.0
PPG), was elite from deep (45.0%), had unreal advanced stats (26.3 PER, 9.0 WS,
8.1 BPM, 5.5 VORP), and frankly kept the Warriors alive. Antetokounmpo kept the Bucks afloat in their
struggles of adjusting their game, as he finished with slash line of 28.1/11.0/5.9,
had 1.2 SPG/1.2 BPG, 10.2 WS, 8.8 BPM, and really kept them alive through their
struggles and Jrue Holiday’s time missed.
Chris Paul’s impact on the Suns was obvious with leading them to 2nd
place in the West (51-21), but also had a slash of 16.4/4.5/8.9 and also had
9.2 WS and a 4.7 BPM.
The others who received votes
were Luka Doncic (DAL), Damian Lillard (POR), Julius Randle (NYK), Derrick Rose
(NYK; yes, he received 1 first place vote thanks to the lone fan vote), Rudy
Gobert (UTA), Russell Westbrook (WAS), Ben Simmons (PHI), James Harden (HOU),
LeBron James (LAL), and Kawhi Leonard (LAC).
Rookie of the Year
1. LaMelo Ball, CHA
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Tyrese Haliburton
The top 3 here was probably the least surprising thing I’ve
heard. I wasn’t sure how this would go
given the fact that Ball missed 22 games and Edwards struggled in the first half. Ultimately, the voters went with Ball, who led
the rookies with 6.1 APG and finished second with 15.7 PPG and 5.9 RPG. He also had 2.8 WS and a 1.9 BPM, which is
surprising for a rookie to have number that high and was the only vote-getter
to make it to a play in game or better, where he was also a key contributor. Edwards struggled at the start of the season
but still let all rookies with 19.3 PPG thanks to a strong second half (23.8
PPG in the second half), had 4.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, and also played in every
game. Haliburton finished third among
rookies with 13.0 PPG, second with 5.3 APG, and also had 1.3 SPG while shooting
40.9% from 3, while contributing 3.7 WS.
The only other player who received any votes was Saddiq Bey (DET).
Defensive Player of the Year
1. Rudy Gobert, UTA
2. Ben Simmons, PHI
3. Draymond Green, GSW
Some might have campaigned for Simmons to receive this
award, but Gobert seemed like the obvious winner. He finished with 2.7 BPG, 0.6 SPG, 2.5 DBPM,
and a league-leading 5.2 DWS while anchoring one of the league’s best defenses
that shot only 50.4% from 2 (just watching the Jazz play the Celtics showed how
good he is when nobody wanted to drive to the hoop if he was nearby); Gobert is
now the fourth player to have at least 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards,
after Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace, and Dwight Howard. For Simmons, as tempting as it is to look at
his 1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 3.3 DWS, and 1.9 DBPM, or the fact that he was arguably
the best defender on one of the league’s best defenses, the stronger case to me
is the fact that he can do all of that while potentially guarding any player
during the course of the game. As for
Green, sure, he had 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 3.4 DWS, and a 3.3 DBPM, but his presence
on defense turned Golden State into one of the best defenses in the league.
The others who received votes include Bam Adebayo (MIA),
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), Clint Capela (ATL), Joel Embiid (PHI), Jrue
Holiday (MIL), Myles Turner (IND), Jimmy Butler (MIA), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
(LAL), Matisse Thybulle (PHI).
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Jordan Clarkson, UTA
2. Joe Ingles, UTA
3. Derrick Rose, NYK
I’m not surprised by the top 2 finishers, as Clarkson and Ingles
were essential to Utah’s success. Clarkson
finished with 18.4 PPG and had a shooting slash of 42.5%/34.7%/89.6%, while
compiling a 52.2 eFG% and a career high 4.2 WS as the top scorer off the bench
for the Jazz (typically a high-volume scorer wins the award). Ingles was more of a jack-of-all-trades kind
of player as the de facto backup point guard, finishing with 12.1 PPG/3.5
RPG/4.7 APG, an unreal 45.1 3P% and 65.2 eFG%, and 7.0 WS. The third slot was difficult to predict since
there were several candidates, but Rose is a good choice. He finished with counting stats of 14.7/2.6/4.2,
had a shooting slash of 47.0%/38.8%/86.6% (the 3P% being a career high), and
3.1 WS, while being essential to the Knicks’ success.
The other players who received votes include Jalen Brunson
(DAL), Tim Hardaway Jr. (DAL), Montrezl Harrell (LAL), Carmelo Anthony (POR),
Chris Boucher (TOR), Bobby Portis (MIL), Enes Kanter (POR), T.J. McConnell
(IND), Miles Bridges (CHO), Shake Milton (PHI), Thaddeus Young (CHI), and Facundo
Campazzo (DEN)
Most Improved Player
1. Julius Randle, NYK
2. Jerami Grant, DET
3. Michael Porter Jr., DEN
Randle seemed like the obvious choice for the winner here,
considering he became the star on the rejuvenated Knicks while compiling career
highs in PPG (24.1), RPG (10.2), APG (6.0), 3P% (41.1%), SPG (0.9), MPG (37.6),
FT% (81.1), WS (7.8), USG% (29.3), BPM (3.7), and had his first season with a
positive DBPM (0.7). A little fun
nugget: he also tied his second lowest
TOV% (13.8) while compiling a career high usage rate, which is uncommon. As for who would be the other finalists,
there were several players that fit the bill in that regard. Grant had a career high 22.3 PPG (previous
high was 13.6) and 2.8 APG (previous high was 1.8) while becoming the offensive
focal point of the Pistons. While second
year players are frequently not selected for this award, Porter went from being
a player who only played 16.4 MPG during the season to being the second best
scorer on the Nuggets after Jamal Murray was injured, finishing with 19.0 PPG,
7.3 RPG, 44.5 3P%, 54.2 FG%, and 6.9 WS.
There were many others who received votes, including
Christian Wood, Zach LaVine, Jaylen Brown, Chris Boucher, Mikal Bridges, Zion
Williamson, Nikola Vucevic, Clint Capela, Jordan Poole, Jordan Clarkson, Luguentz
Dort, Darius Garland, Kyle Anderson, RJ Barrett, Miles Bridges, Lonzo Ball,
T.J. McConnell, Andrew Wiggins, Richaun Holmes, Bogan Bogdanovic, Terry Rozier,
and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Coach of the Year
1. Tom Thibodeau, NYK
2. Monty Williams, PHO
3. Quin Snyder, UTA
This might have been the most excruciating award to vote for
due to one reason: there are two of the
most no-brainer candidates in my lifetime in Thibodeau and Williams. Thibodeau took a team that was a joke of a team
for many years and had them finish 4th in the East with 41-31 record
and Williams led a team with a playoff drought and just missed the play in game
in the Bubble to a 51-21 record.
Ultimately, I think the reason Thibs won is because people thought of
the Knicks as a Tom Thibodeau team and people thought of the Suns as a Chris
Paul team. As for Snyder, he did lead
the Jazz to the best record in the NBA at 52-20 as they looked incredible throughout
the season, so I kind of figured he would finish third.
The others who received votes were Doc Rivers (PHI), Nate
McMillan (ATL), Steve Nash (BRK), and Michael Malone (DEN).
All-NBA
First Team
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
2. Nikola Jokic, DEN
3. Stephen Curry, GSW
4. Luka Doncic, DAL
5. Kawhi Leonard, LAC
Second Team
1. Damian Lillard, POR
2. Joel Embiid, PHI
3. Chris Paul, PHO
4. Julius Randle, NYK
5. LeBron James, LAL
Third Team
1. Rudy Gobert, UTA
2. Jimmy Butler, MIA
3. Paul George, LAC
4. Bradley Beal, WAS
5. Kyrie Irving, BRK
The other forwards who received votes are Jayson Tatum, Zion
Williamson, Kevin Durant, and Khris Middleton. The other guards who received
votes are Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Ben
Simmons, Trae Young, and Zach LaVine. The
other centers who received votes are Bam Adebayo, Clint Capela, Domantas
Sabonis, Anthony Davis, Nikola Vucevic, and Draymond Green.
All-Defense
First Team
1. Rudy Gobert, UTA
2. Ben Simmons, PHI
3. Draymond Green, GSW
4. Jrue Holiday, MIL
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
Second Team
1. Bam Adebayo, MIA
2. Jimmy Butler, MIA
3. Joel Embiid, PHI
4. Matisse Thybulle, PHI
5. Kawhi Leonard, LAC
The other guards who received votes are Mikal Bridges,
Marcus Smart, Luguentz Dort, Chris Paul, Paul George, Alex Caruso, Dejounte
Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, T.J. McConnell, Dennis Schroder, Dillon
Brooks, Danny Green, Fred VanVleet, Jaylen Brown, Mike Conley, Donovan
Mitchell, and Russell Westbrook. The other
forwards who received votes are Myles Turner, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby,
Anthony Davis, Royce O’Neale, Robert Covington, Jae Crowder, Daniel Theis, Andrew
Wiggins, and Christian Wood. The other centers
who received votes are Clint Capela and Nerlens Noel.
All-Rookie
First Team
1. LaMelo Ball, CHO
2. Anthony Edwards, MIN
3. Tyrese Haliburton, SAC
4. Saddiq Bey, DET
5. Jae’Sean Tate, HOU
Second Team
1. Immanuel Quickley, NYK
2. Desmond Bane, MEM
3. Isaiah Stewart, DET
4. Isaac Okoro, CLE
5. Patrick Williams, CHI
The others who received votes are Facundo Campazzo, Cole
Anthony, James Wiseman, Payton Pritchard, Jaden McDaniels, Tyrese Maxey, Theo
Maledon, Xavier Tillman, KJ Martin, Chuma Okeke, Devin Vassell, and Aleksej
Pokusevski.
Bonus 1: My Choices
While I don’t have a vote, these are who I would have
selected if I had a vote.
Most Valuable Player
1. Nikola Jokic, DEN
2. Joel Embiid, PHI
3. Stephen Curry, GSW
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
5. Damian Lillard, POR
My reasoning for Jokic is that he led the league in several
advanced stats (as mentioned above), put up incredible numbers, and was
essential in the Nuggets’ difficult season.
On top of that, if you consider his 15.6 win shares and even round it
down to 15, this would suggest without him that the Nuggets, who went 47-25,
would go 32-42, which would cause them to finish 10th (realistically,
they might finish lower given their lack of a consistent backup center). I considered Embiid a close second due to his
dominance and Philadelphia’s struggles on offense at times outside of him. While some say he missed too many games, I am
considering anyone who played at least 40 games this year (normally I’m
stricter, but this year is different with Covid and a condensed season). I was torn between Curry and Antetokounmpo,
but ultimately went with Curry since there’s no way that Golden State team
would have finished above 13th without him (looking at WS suggest
they would drop to 12th, but I think there would be a larger drop). As for Giannis, he had an amazing season and
helped the Bucks get through the stretch when they were missing Jrue Holiday
and when they struggled at times with switching. As for Lillard, his great numbers (28.8/4.2/7.5,
25.6 PER, 10.4 WS, 5.9 BPM) played a role in this, but the Trail Blazers were
again injury prone, even missing C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, and they still
managed to miss the play in game.
The five other players I seriously considered were Jimmy Butler,
Julius Randle, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and James Harden. I also considered Chris Paul, Rudy Gobert,
Paul George, Zion Williamson, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell,
Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, and Bam Adebayo.
Rookie of the Year
1. LaMelo Ball, CHA
2. Anthony Edwards, MIN
3. Tyrese Haliburton, SAC
For everybody saying Ball shouldn’t be considered because he
missed 21 games, Edwards was so bad in the first half of the season that I argue
he missed 36 games (as in he was useless most of the first half). Ball was a contributing player on a
competitive team and still played 51 games.
While Edwards had an amazing second half, he was horrible in the first
half (14.9 PPG, 37.1 FG%, 30.2 3P%) and was much worse in advanced stats. That said, his second half was strong enough
that he couldn’t rank lower than second.
Haliburton had a fine season and was near the top in many stats, but I’m
giving the edge to Edwards for his counting stats.
Two others I considered for third place were Desmond Bane
and Saddiq Bey. The next ten I
considered were Immanuel Quickley, Facundo Campazzo, Patrick Williams, Payton
Prithcard, Isaac Okoro, Jaden McDaniels, Jae’Sean Tate, Isaiah Stewart, Theo
Maledon, and Cole Anthony.
Defensive Player of the Year
1. Rudy Gobert, UTA, C
2. Ben Simmons, PHI, PG
3. Draymond Green, GSW, PF
I don’t feel like I can add any more than what I added to
above, but I totally agreed with the outcome of the top 3. I thought Gobert should be first due to his statistics,
the team’s dominance, and just watching players try to avoid the paint anytime
he got close to them. Simmons can guard most
players on the court which pushed him to second, but he didn’t alter the
defense as much as Gobert did. As for Green,
he wasn’t quite the stopper the other two were, but I truly believe he made the
Warriors’ defense strong, which is something they would not have been without
him.
The next two I seriously considered were Myles Turner (had
he played more games I would’ve had him third instead) and Bam Adebayo. The next ten I considered were Jimmy Butler,
Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Royce O’Neal,
Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Smart, and Clint Capela.
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Joe Ingles, UTA, SF
2. Jordan Clarkson, UTA, SG
3. Jalen Brunson, DAL, PG/SG
Look, for me the top 2 were easy in terms of who would be in
it and 3 and 4 would also be easy in that same way, but the selection of who would
be ahead in each of those was difficult.
I didn’t feel like there was a wrong answer between Ingles and Clarkson,
but I went with Ingles due to the shooting, advanced numbers, and the fact that
I think he provides a little bit more value.
That said, Clarkson is also so valuable due to the scoring load he
brings off the bench and can provide for the team. As for third, I was torn between two Dallas
players in Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Like Ingles and Clarkson, both played crucial but drastically different roles
and absolutely thrived in their roles.
Ultimately, I let the tiebreaker be win shares since I couldn’t decide; Brunson
won 5.1-4.3. That said, he also put up 12.2
PPG, 3.5 APG, shot 40.5% from deep, and was valuable playing both on and off
the ball.
The next two that I seriously considered were Hardaway and Chris
Boucher. I also considered Doug
McDermott, Derrick Rose, De’Anthony Melton, Bobby Portis, Thaddeus Young, Carmelo
Anthony, Alex Caruso, Ivaca Zubac, Facundo Campazzo, and Montrezl Harrell.
Most Improved Player
1. Julius Randle, NYK, PF
2. Zach LaVine, CHI, SG
3. Andrew Wiggins, GSW, SF
A lot of people consider the improvement in statistics more
for this award, but I usually will consider improvements in playing style as
well. Either way, Randle was the obvious
choice considering his improvement in his statistics and his decision
making. In particular, there were
multiple times last season where he would see three defenders in the paint,
drive towards them, and lose the ball; this year, he would instead either
shoot, pass to the open man, or finish if he knew he could. As for LaVine, I could go on about his career
high 27.4 PPG and 4.9 APG, but the big thing about him is that he became
smarter about the shots he took and more selective yet aggressive; he was
rewarded with career highs in FG% (50.7%), 3P% (41.9%), 2P% (57.1%), and eFG% (59.6%). He made the jump everyone has been saying he
needs to make, so I am rewarding him here.
As for Wiggins, his numbers didn’t improve drastically, but all you had
to do was watch a game and he seemed smarter.
Whenever he took a shot that was contested, it felt like it would
fall. Whenever he had an open 3, he
would take it. He played much harder on
defense. In short, I’m getting to the
point where I feel like I could trust him being a top 3 player on a competitive
team.
The other two I was seriously considering were Deandre Ayton
and Chris Boucher. The next ten were
Christian Wood, Jaylen Brown, Doug McDermott, Michael Porter Jr., Jerami Grant,
Dejounte Murray, Robert Williams, Collin Sexton, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby.
I want to also give a shoutout to Malik Beasley of the
Minnesota Timberwolves. Prior to him being
suspended and then injured, I thought he was a top 3 choice for this as the
only player I felt was consistently healthy and producing for the Timberwolves.
Coach of the Year
1. Tom Thibodeau, NYK
2. Monty Williams, PHO
3. Doc Rivers, PHI
Realistically, the result I wanted to give was a tie between
Thibodeau and Williams. In fact, I felt
both of them were the two most qualified candidates I have ever seen, which is
of course problematic when they are in the same year. Thibodeau transformed the Knicks into one of
the most competent teams after they had been a joke for many years, and
Williams not only helped the Suns transform over the past two years but also
helped iron out how offensively clunky they were early on without much practice
time and turned them into one of the most cohesive teams. Ultimately, I gave the tiebreaker to
Thibodeau because I predicted the Knicks to finish 13th while they
finished 4th whereas I predicted the Suns would finish 7th
while they finished 2nd. I
was torn between Rivers and Quinn Snyder for third; ultimately, I went with
Rivers because I have been so impressed with what he was able to do to make
Tobias Harris fit so well with that lineup this year.
The next two in my opinion were Quinn Snyder and Mike Malone,
though it was painful for me to not have either in the top 3. Five others I considered were Nate McMillan,
Steve Nash, Terry Stotts, Erik Spoelstra, and Rick Carlisle.
All-NBA
1st Team
1. Stephen Curry, GSW
2. Luka Doncic, DAL
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
4. Jimmy Butler, MIA
5. Nikola Jokic, DEN
2nd Team
1. Damian Lillard, POR
2. James Harden, HOU/BRK
3. LeBron James, LAL
4. Kawhi Leonard, LAC
5. Joel Embiid, PHI
3rd Team
1. Chris Paul, PHO
2. Donovan Mitchell, UTA
3. Julius Randle, NYK
4. Zion Williamson, NOP
5. Rudy Gobert, UTA
The players who would have made it had there been one more team are Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Bam Adebayo. I also considered Ben Simmons, Devin Booker, Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine.
All-Rookie
1st Team
1. LaMelo Ball, CHA
2. Anthony Edwards, MIN
3. Tyrese Haliburton, SAC
4. Desmond Bane, MEM
5. Saddiq Bey, DET
2nd Team
1. Immanuel Quickley, NYK
2. Facundo Campazzo, DEN
3. Patrick Williams, CHI
4. Payton Pritchard, BOS
5. Isaac Okoro, CLE
The players who would have made it had there been one more
team are Jae’Sean Tate, Jaden McDaniels, Isaiah Stewart, Theo Maledon, and
James Wiseman. I also considered Cole
Anthony, Malachi Flynn, Chuma Okeke, Xavier Tillman, and Aleksej Pokusevski.
All-Defense
1st Team
1. Ben Simmons, PHI
2. Jimmy Butler, MIA
3. Draymond Green, GSW
4. Bam Adebayo, MIA
5. Rudy Gobert, UTA
2nd Team
1. Jrue Holiday, MIL
2. Marcus Smart, BOS
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
4. Royce O’Neale, UTA
5. Myles Turner, IND
The players who would have made it had there been one more
team are Bruce Brown, Alex Caruso, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Joel
Embiid. I also considered Nerlens Noel,
Chris Boucher, Clint Capela, Jakob Poeltl, and Thaddeus Young.
Bonus 2: The Kemba
Walker Trade
The first trade of the offseason has occurred: Kemba Walker has been traded to the Oklahoma
City Thunder and Al Horford has been traded to the Boston Celtics for a second
stint there. It was inevitable that both
would be traded at some point given different circumstances. I consider this a rare case where both teams accomplished
what they were trying to do, and I don’t have much criticism towards either
team. That said, I have included my
grades for each team regarding this trade.
Boston: Al Horford,
Moses Brown, 2023 2nd round pick
Given recent developments related to the situation between Ainge
and Walker, it sounded inevitable that Walker would be traded at some
point. Ultimately, their goal was to
trade Walker for something and improve their depth, which I think they were
able to do. Horford will fit with this
team like he did last time around and will also fill a role as a big man. Their front court might be a bit much given they have Horford,
Robert Williams, Tristian Thompson, and Brown now, but Horford could probably
have glimpses of playing power forward, especially since Boston has the
shooting to likely make this feasible in certain doses. Brown could be an interesting piece to
develop; while I’m not sure he will be a starting center on a great team, I
could see him at least being a quality backup center at worst. It stinks to lose the draft pick, but I’m not
surprised they had to for this to work.
Ultimately, Brad Stevens got the job done in his first move as team president. Grade:
B
Oklahoma City: Kemba
Walker, 2021 1st round pick (16th pick), 2025 2nd
round pick
And we have another case of the rich get richer…at least in
terms of draft picks. Sam Presti managed
to accomplish two goals with this move: trade
Horford and compile more draft picks.
While they had to take back a difficult contract in Walker, they can
afford to take him due to the point in their development they are at and the
lack of a massive destination they are. While
Walker might be traded prior to the season, even having him there would help
out with being someone to help many of the young guys; I could see him allowing
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Theo Maledon to develop more as well. It hurts to have to lose Brown since he
looked like he could be an intriguing player for them, but there will be many
opportunities (especially once we see where their pick falls in the
lottery). Ultimately, I think it makes
sense for them. Grade: B+
What do you think about the awards this year? Any snubs?
How about the Kemba Walker trade?
Let me know in the comments!
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