SUMMARY
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For the first time in a while, the NBA regular season awards will be handed down during the playoffs, giving deserving winners much-needed motivation in a historically unique 2019-2020 season.
The candidates’ performances in the ongoing bubble games will not count toward their cases for winning, making it the perfect time to choose the top candidates for the 2019-20 NBA season awards.
Most Valuable Player
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
- James Harden, Houston Rockets
The case for Antetokounmpo is ironclad: he averaged an insane 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1 block and 1 steal per game in just 30.9 minutes per game for the league’s best team.
James bounced back this season, leading the Lakers to a West-leading 49-14 record. Despite being 35 years old and having logged exactly 58,378 minutes in the NBA (regular season and playoff combined), his stats have remained on par with his usual averages. His consistency and longevity remain unparalleled in today’s age of load management.
Harden, for all his flaws, has carried over his torrid scoring pace from last season. He averaged 34.4 points on 62%, continuing his mastery of isolation basketball. But the Rockets are also currently just the 5th seed in the Western Conference with a 41-24 record.
It’s fair to penalize him for the Rockets’ inconsistency when his offensive style leaves him susceptible to horrible shooting performances, characterized by his tendency to score 40 points one night then go 3-10 from the field and 1-6 from deep the following game.
This leaves us with Antetokounmpo and James.
Antetokounmpo remains the most impactful force behind the Bucks’ ascent. The Bucks outscore opponents by 16 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, compared to just 3 points when he’s off.
The gap between Anthony Davis and the Bucks’ supporting cast is huge – enough to tip the scales towards Antetokounmpo for the second straight year over James in terms of their impact on getting their respective teams to where they are.
Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers; Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers; Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Most Improved Player
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
- Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
- Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Doncic has blossomed into a legitimate superstar but his rookie season was an outstanding one, which means that even with an astronomical sophomore leap, his room for improvement is lower than those of other more deserving candidates.
Ingram has blossomed in New Orleans, where he’s averaged a career-high 24.3 points on 47% from the field and 39% from deep this season.
But Adebayo takes the cake as the league’s most improved. He is arguably the Heat’s most important player – their handoff offensive lynchpin and defensive swiss army knife.
Not only has Adebayo nearly doubled his scoring average from last season (8.9 to 16.2), but he has also developed into a full-fledged playmaker, notching 5.1 assists per game.
He takes the award over Ingram due to his indispensability and uniqueness to a playoff team. While Ingram’s improvements have been flashier, Adebayo’s emergence from a spark plug off-the-bench into one of the league’s most versatile big men has translated more into the win column.
Winner: Bam Adebayo
Honorable Mentions: Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors; Devonte Graham, Charlotte Hornets; Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics; Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat
Defensive Player of the Year
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Gobert remains the most intimidating rim protector in the league, but the Jazz defense has slipped from 2nd to 11th this season. This season, his rim protection and team defense stats have not been enough to compensate for the matchup-proof defense of two more worthy candidates.
Davis is an all-around deterrent, averaging 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Yet Davis remains worse than Antetokounmpo in the versatility department, and the Bucks’ defense with the Greek Freak on the floor is 7 points better than the Lakers’ with Davis on, according to PBP Stats.
Needless to say, the stats say it all for Antetokounmpo’s case as the best defensive player in the league. With him on the floor, the Bucks allow only 99.1 points per 100 possessions. He is also statistically the league’s best rim protector.
Antetokounmpo has no limitations on defense. He can blitz the ball handler and return to his original man quickly, and he can comfortably switch from 1-to-5.
Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Honorable Mentions: Brook Lopez, Bucks; Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat; Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics; Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Rookie of the Year
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
- Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
- Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
Media sensation Zion Williamson only played 19 games, rendering his case moot, although he’s certainly deserving if he had played the entire season and managed to maintain the same pace.
Advanced stats love Clarke. He has been awfully efficient, scoring 12 per game on 62% from the field and 40% from long range in just 21.7 minutes per game. Clarke has the shooting and defensive versatility that the modern NBA is looking for in a big man.
Nunn’s emergence as a starter on a playoff team has been a vital part of the Heat’s playoff push.
The confidence that made him a starter also acts as his undoing; Nunn has a knack for ending up with wacky 3-of-16 or 6-of-19 shooting lines despite being a fourth option at best. He slots in at third nonetheless after posting averages of 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as an undrafted rookie.
Despite strong cases for the first two, Morant should win this award unanimously. He averaged 17.6 points and 7 assists as the undisputed alpha for the Grizzlies.
He is shooting 49.1% from the field and 36.7% from three. Morant’s efficiency as a rookie is amazing and hints at a future of superstardom.
Winner: Ja Morant
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Herro, Miami Heat; P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets; Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards; Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors
Sixth Man of the Year
- Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers
- Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers
Williams’ steady 19 points a night have proven invaluable to a Clippers team in transition. He remains effective as an offensive fulcrum when the game slows down. However, despite Williams’ offensive mastery, he remains a liability on defense.
Harrell has continued his torrid offensive pace from last season’s playoffs, scoring 18.6 per game. His defensive impact is understated as well. Despite standing at 6-foot-8, he allows only 51.3% field goal percentage on shots at the rim.
However, unlike the Thunder, who would be devastated should they lose Schroder, the Clippers have enough depth to weather a potential Harrell loss.
Therefore, Schroder is the pick based on his impact on the Thunder’s surprising 40-24 start.
Four of the Thunder’s 5 best lineups (minimum 50 minutes) include Schroder. With him in place of the usual starters, the Thunder have outscored opponents by a humongous 29.9 points per 100 possessions in 177 minutes.
Plus, Schroder’s presence adds additional ball-handling and shot-creating to a team that is awfully starved of it as they push on into the postseason.
Winner: Dennis Schroder
Honorable Mentions: Derrick Rose, Detroit Pistons; Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies; Davis Bertans, Washington Wizards; Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz.
Coach of the Year
- Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors
- Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Frank Vogel, Los Angeles Lakers
Vogel is blessed with the best team among the 3 but he also deserves the most credit for making the big personalities of the team buy into the defense-first coaching philosophy that led to deep playoff runs back in his stint with the Indiana Pacers.
Donovan rightfully gets criticism for failing to get out of the first round of the playoffs for 3 straight seasons. This season, however, has given him new life as an NBA coach as he steered a team that seemed destined to drop straight to the lottery after trading Russell Westbrook and Paul George into solid playoff contention.
Likewise, it was definitely unexpected that the Raptors would be this good after the departures of Leonard and Danny Green. They were expected to win around 46 games before the season began; they’ve hit that mark in a mere 64 games.
Nurse’s combination of excellent in-game management and ability to maximize his players’ talents has elevated the Raptors into more than the sum of its parts, making him the frontrunner for Coach of the Year.
Although Donovan and Milwaukee Bucks mentor Mike Budenholzer were already named joint Coach of the Year winners by the National Basketball Coaches Association, a different victor might emerge in the NBA Awards.
Winner: Nick Nurse
Honorable Mentions: Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics; Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat; Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee Bucks; Doc Rivers
– Jedd Pagaduan/Rappler.com
All stats were taken from NBA Stats or Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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