NBA Awards At The All-Star Break
Despite this All-Star Weekend being rather underwhelming, the 55–60 games each team has played leading up to it have been action-packed. We’ve seen the Cavaliers slump, get hot, and then slump even more before blowing up almost their entire roster. The Rockets are giving Golden State a run for their money in the race for the Western Conference’s top seed, and the Toronto Raptors look like a legitimate NBA Finals contender.
So far, here are the deserving winners of every award:
MVP: James Harden, Houston Rockets
James Harden is yet again having a historically good offensive season, and is still not getting proper recognition for it. He is leading a Houston offense that as of now has the highest Offensive Rating in the history, while averaging an absurdly good stat-line of 31.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game, while doing so at an efficient rate. This should be Harden’s third MVP in the last four years, and the media’s refusal to give him props has always been downright unfair. Harden is one of the very best offensive players in the history of the league, and needs to be recognized as such.
Second Place: Stephen Curry, Third Place: LeBron James, Fourth Place: Kevin Durant, Fifth Place: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
As fun as it is to watch Embiid’s poster dunks, and rainbow three-pointers, it’s time his remarkable rim protection abilities are recognized. As good as he is at other parts of the game, defense is easily his strong-suit, thanks to his freakish athleticism, long arms, and brilliant instincts. When Embiid is on the floor, the Sixers have a Defensive Rating of 100.4, which would easily be the best in basketball. When he is on the bench, Philly’s 109.8 Defensive Rating would be tied for 23rd in the league. It’s worth keeping in mind that he is doing this while playing most of his minutes next to two below-average defenders in JJ Redick and Dario Saric. Per NBA.com, 4 of the top 13 two-player combinations in Defensive Rating include Embiid. He is truly phenomenal on the defensive end, and he has single-handedly made the Sixers an elite defensive team.
Second Place: Draymond Green, Third Place: Al Horford, Fourth Place: Paul George, Fifth Place: Kevin Durant
Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Many are now making the case for Donovan Mitchell to win this award over Simmons, and as impressive as Mitchell has been, he simply hasn’t been as good as Simmons. Mitchell scores five more points per game despite having a FG% (43.9%) that is significantly worse than that of Simmons (52.7%), while also having a slightly worse eFG% (50.9%) than Simmons does (52.7%). Simmons is averaging over four more rebounds per game and nearly four more assists per game. And as good as Mitchell can be on defense, Simmons has been a borderline elite defensive player this season. While Mitchell’s usage rate being higher might lead people to believe that he has to shoulder a heavier load, think about this: Mitchell averages 61.7 touches per game, which ranks 58th in the league- compared to Simmons, who averages 99.0 touches, which ranks first in the entire NBA. Mitchell has been fantastic this season on both ends, and while it may be more surprising to some than the play of Simmons, the fact of the matter is just that Ben Simmons has been better.
Second Place: Donovan Mitchell, Third Place: Jayson Tatum, Fourth Place: Lauri Markkanen, Fifth Place: Kyle Kuzma
Most Improved Player: Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
It goes without saying that Oladipo is deserving of the hardware, as he went from looking lost last year in Oklahoma City to a legitimate star in Indiana, playing like an All-NBA level player. He has stepped up his production is just about every facet of the game- he is averaging career-highs in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG, FG%, and 3P%. He has truly turned into an entirely different player, as he’s kept his intense defensive prowess while also transforming into a go-to scorer. On top of it all, he’s leading a Pacers team with an average at best supporting cast to a likely playoff spot.
Second Place: Nikola Mirotic, Third Place: Spencer Dinwiddie, Fourth Place: Kris Dunn, Fifth Place: Mario Hezonja
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers
This one shouldn’t come as much of a shocker, as Lou is having one of the best seasons of any bench player we have seen in a long time. There was a legitimate argument to be made that he was snubbed from the All-Star Game, as he is averaging over 23 PPG on efficient percentages. He’s also averaging over 5 assists per game, and now that Blake Griffin is gone, he is really the centerpiece of the Clippers’ offense.
Second Place: Kyle Korver, Third Place: Trey Lyles, Fourth Place: Buddy Hield, Fifth Place: Wayne Ellington
Coach of the Year: Dwayne Casey, Toronto Raptors
All of the talk this summer about Toronto was that they should quit attempting to win with their flawed offensive system that did not stress much ball movement, or three-point attempts. But this year, they have drastically altered their play-style for the better- less isolation, and more threes. That, as well as their outstanding bench, have turned them into the best team in the Eastern Conference.
Second Place: Mike D’Antoni, Third Place: Gregg Popovich, Fourth Place: Brett Brown, Fifth Place: Nate McMillan
