MVP
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Jokic has been one of my favorite players to watch since his Rook season, the way he controls the action from beginning to end is like no one I've seen since Magic. He's Westbrook except that he actually cares about winning and he's a much better playmaker. To drag this team to 6th in the West without Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr., and to be so damned entertaining all the while, yeah, man, he's got my vote. And when you look at the advanced stats, it is clearly Jokic #1 and Giannis #2, then you can argue over #3. Both of those dudes are so awesome and so in control of their teams and so effective, that it's hard to see anyone other Jokic or Giannis as MVP. (Shit, you know what else? I had Jokic, Giannis and Embiid way higher on my DPOY list than I would've thought, too)
1st team (2 ballhandlers, 2 big guys, 1 wild card)
Luka Doncic (Mavs), Jaysun Tatum (Celtics), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks), Joel Embiid (Sixers)
2nd:
Trae Young (Hawks), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), Kevin Durant (Nets), Lebron James (Lakers), Karl-Anthony Towns (Wolves)
3rd:
Dejounte Murray (Spurs), Devin Booker (Suns), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls), Paskal Siakam (Raptors), Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
(Jimmy Butler (Heat), Steph Curry (Warriors), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), were my last three out)
Rookie of the Year
Evan Mobley (Cavs)
Holy balls, this one was such a no-brainer for the first 6 months of the season that I found myself unexpectedly discombobulated trying to pick a winner. My typical rational is this: ROY is a forward-looking award not an award based on the actual rookie season because rookies virtually never make enough of a worthwhile difference; for example: I went with Joel Embiid (Sixers) over Malcolm Brogdon (Bucks) because it was plain to me that Embiid was clearly the better prospect going forward even though Brogdon clearly had the better rookie year.
But the way Evan Mobley (Cavs) impacted his squad on Day One was breathtaking and it just seemed to me plainly obvious that he was your ROY. But, wait, didn't you just say it was a future-looking award? What difference does Day One make? Typically, yes. But Mobley had an impact that rookies virtually never have. He took a team that I thought wouldn't have a chance at the play-in tourney and had them firmly in the top 6 for most of the season--as a ROOKIE! Mobley was the cornerstone of a play-in team as a rookie! And was, I'd say, the team's MVP throughout the season--a playoff team! So, yeah, I ditched my normal criteria of future projection because he was that good right away. And until about March 1, I didn't think twice about that rationale and just figured the ROY race was over.
But, heading into the last part of the regular season it was hard to ignore the impact Scottie Barnes (Raptors) was having on that Raptor rotation just as they were making a playoff push. But the Raptors are a better team with a better culture than the Cavs, so even though the Raptors are rising and the Cavs are fading, considering pre-season projections, the Cavs are still vastly outperforming expectations. So has Barnes been as impactful for his team as Mobley has been for his? Well, probably not, but, man, Barnes is really good, dude! And his team is peaking at the right time, so I can totally see picking Barnes over Mobley.
And, oh by the way, I wouldn't begrudge anyone voting for Cade Cunningham (Pistons) because he strikes me as possibly the best looking future prospect going forward--which is typically my rationale. Took him a little while to get going and his team is pretty awful, but, man, Cunningham is good and has room to get a lot better and--like Mobley--is already the clear MVP of his team. So while I have Cunningham 2nd on my list, I can see him getting him 1st place votes, too, because he has to do even more for his crappy team than Mobley or Barnes were expected to give their teams. And Cade, I think, still has the most upside of any of this year's class--Cade's gonna get better.
And, oh by the way, pound for pound Franz Wagner (Magic) has put up eye-popping numbers and been his team's MVP, as well. Tough to put Wagner ahead of Barnes or Mobley but he's had a helluva rookie year and absolutely deserves admiration.
And, oh by the way, Jonathon Kuminga (Warriors) is another one with room to get better and could possibly end up being the most dominant player of this class. His situation is utterly unique so his contribution is harder to evaluate. Barnes stepped into a functioning rotation and played like a pro right away, Mobley was the bedrock that made a (so-so) rotation into playoff-caliber, Cunningham is carrying his (crappy) rotation, Wagner is the finest contributor in his (crappy) rotation....Kuminga, then, is a piecemeal contributor to an up and down rotation (potential Champion at its best, play-in team at its worst). But Kuminga is definitely the cornerstone of the future (Warriors fan, aren't you glad they didn't trade him for, say, Caris LaVert?) and still has as much upside as anyone.
And, oh by the way, Jalen Green (Rockets) has been putting up big numbers lately, finishing the season strong and actually developing some promising habits on a team full of rookies.
And, oh by the way, this was a really great rookie class, man. Teams are playing these guys and relying on them: 22 rookies played over 1000 minutes and 20 rookies averaged 20mins/game (playing at least 900 minutes). I came up with 4 that were actually arguably the MVPs of their team already: Cunningham, Mobley, Green, and Wagner.
And, oh by the way, there are a ton of rookies that didn't get much play that I'm still totally in on and others that played their way into rotations and deserve to be there: James Bouknight (Hornets), Trendon Watford (Blazers), Quinton Grimes (Knicks), JT Thor (Hornets), Austin Reaves (Lakers), BJ Boston (Clippers), Josh Primo (Spurs), Kessler Edwards (Nets), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Moses Moody (Warriors), Dalano Banton (Raptors), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Tre Mann (Thunder), Usman Garuba (Rockets), Cam Thomas (Nets), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Keon Johnson (Blazers), Josh Christopher (Rockets), Chris Duarte--and there are more!--are all still fascinating prospects with room to grow.
I never mentioned Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls) or Herb Jones (Pelicans), who are actually kinda great! Or Bones Hyland (Nuggets), Davion Mitchel (Kings), Corey Kispert (Wizards), all of whom had good seasons. And I love Josh Giddey (Thunder)! And I'm still in on Jalen Suggs (Magic) who found himself crowded out at his position by the emergence of Cole Anthony and had his rookie thunder stolen by Wagner; but he is not a bust (though he might need to move on from Orlando).
(Okay, I'll say it....this is the Coronavirus Class. What do we make of the fact that, for the most part, these guys didn't even really get the NCAA year they normally would've had? Remember that Duke and Kentucky, among others, both sucked last year, how does that throw off 1) the development of these players and 2) our perception of these players? The 2020 draft class didn't get their NCAA tourney, but the 2021 class played a screwed-up season, so will these two classes just be aberrations or....are changes coming?)
I'll take Evan Mobley (Cavs) for ROY because I think his contribution to his team was bigger and better this year than any other rookie even though the Cavs faded down the stretch. After that, I'll go Cade Cunnigham (Pistons), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jonathon Kuminga (Warriors), Franz Wagner (Magic), Herb Jones (Pelicans), Jalen Green (Rockets), Josh Giddey (Thunder) Davion Mitchell (Kings), Ayo Dosunmo (Bulls). A great class, teams are already looking 7-8 years down the line to measure up this class's contract extensions.
6th Man of the Year
Tyler Herro (Heat)
Top 5 in Minutes Played, FGA (44% overall, 40% from 3P), FTA (87%), Assists (with a nice, not great, asst:to) and was the overall leading scorer among 6th Man candidates. I'd say he's pretty clearly the best off the bench this season.
2) Malik Monk (Lakers), 3) Terrence Mann (Clippers), 4) Alperen Sengun (Rockets), 5) Carmelo Anthony (Lakers)
That's right: two of my top five were from the Lakers, which is just further evidence that the problem with the Lakers was that Russell Westbrook played way too much.
I got it down to 16 guys but then a handful kept disappointing with their numbers: Jordan Clarkson (Jazz), Buddy Hield (Kings/Pacers), Davion Mitchell (Kings), Cam Johnson (Suns), Corey Kispert (Wizards)--which is not to say these guys had bad years. Not at all, they were the 6th men of their teams and what each team needs off the bench is unique and doesn't necessarily scale well across the whole league. That said, it was easier to separate the number-getters from the non-number-getters.
But somebody is gonna steal Tyus Jones from the Grizzlies and feel pretty great about that signing (or Devin Vassell (Spurs) or Immanuel Quickley (Knicks)). And don't be surprised if someone makes the big balls move for Kevin Love (Cavs) this summer and sells hard on his 6th Man qualities at the press conference.
Defensive Player of the Year
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Yeah, man, I was as surprised as you. Jokic led the league in Rebounds (and Def Rebounds), was 8th in Steals + Blocks (9th in Steals, 20th in Blocks), was 6th in Assists (while finishing with fewer turnovers than 3 of the assist leaders ahead of him), was 8th in FGA and shot 58% (by far better than anyone else with a 1000 FGA). This guy does everything for his team. Why do you keep bringing up offensive stats? Because just as defense leads to offense, offense leads to defense and Jokic's ability to get good shots for himself and his teammates is the greatest roadblock to the other team scoring--and Jokic was among the league leaders in Steals, Blocks and Rebounds, while tying for 1st (with Karl-Anthony Town) in Minutes Played at his position and still finishing outside of the top ten (at his position) in personal fouls. Jokic moves the ball so efficiently at the offensive end and contributes at the other end...I dunno what to tell you, man, Jokic is so fucking impressive.
I kinda thought I'd be going with Jaren Jackson (Grizzlies), who crushed the rest of the league in Blocks and Steals + Blocks, which are good stats for defense. But I went a little deeper and actually he is not a notable rebounder (fewer rebounds this year than Lebron James) and his asst:to is abysmal. So what, you ask? Well, it's incumbent on each player to turn possessions into good FGA and not turnovers and you would hope a superior defensive minded player would take that to heart. But Jackson's offense is strangely inefficient and I think that reflects weirdly on a guy that would seem to be a defensive super star.
Yeah, I get the Marcus Smart buzz, he is a great perimeter defender, but I'm not sure he's even the best defender on his team (ahem, Robert Williams has turned into a totally new guy back there). And for all the talk about there being no talk about Marcus Smart, there was even less buzz about the lack of buzz for Tyrese Haliburton (Kings/Pacers), who quietly had a helluva nice year: more Steals and Blocks than Smart, more FTA at a better %, more Off Rebounds, Def Rebounds and Total Rebounds and a superior asst:to, as well. So who was the badass perimeter defender that didn't get enough credit this year?
I worked this down to 43 candidates and of my top 20, Rudy Gobert (and Fred Van Vleet) had the least amount of games played. Normally I would be impressed at such great stats in so few games, but I can't help feeling like the night-in/night-out-ness of defense is a pretty important quality for a great defender. You gotta play more games to make your presence deeper. So while Gobert had a typically fine season, I didn't feel like he stacked up to the competition quite as well this year.
Also, I'm getting a little tired of the much maligning of Robert Covington (Clippers), the only man to be in the top 12 in both Steals and Blocks (2nd in Steals + Blocks) and his asst:to is not bad and he shot 38% from 3. A pretty good defender that people have pretty much given up on and I don't know why.
I don't really know how to quantify DPOY (except that I was unexpectedly blown away by Jokic). But, my gut, is Mitchell Robinson (Knicks), Robert Williams (Celtics), Herb Jones (Pelicans), Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks), Tyrese Halliburton (Pacers), Marcus Smart (Celtics), Jaren Jackson Jr (Grizzlies), Rudy Gobert (Jazz), and Dejounte Murray (Spurs) are something like the 10 best defenders in the NBA this year.
Coach of the Year
Monty Williams (Suns)
Yes, this is the returning Western Conference champs, anchored by a no-nonsense PG (Paul), a blistering scorer (Booker), and a fine-tuned supporting cast--what's so hard about that? To me, it was how quietly and calmly they've destroyed everyone all year long. I had my doubts about this team's success last year--I mean, they cruised through the playoffs with no Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray or Kawhi Leonard (...but, then again....none of those guys are playing this year either) and then blew a 2-0 lead in the Finals. To me last year's playoff run was proof that this team couldn't win in the post-season--and maybe they can't! Maybe they are a regular season juggernaut that crumbles in series play--but to come back and casually dominate the league was a fuckin' work of art. Coach Williams deserves a lot of the credit keeping this team from falling apart after a disastrous start of the season, brutal contract negotiations with Ayton and the owner under a cloud of investigation all season long. Other teams endured far less and still didn't come together the way the Suns have because the Suns know who they are every single day. I think that's coaching more than anything else.
Also in the West, I thought Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), Mike Malone (Nuggets), Jason Kidd (Mavs) and Steve Kerr (Warriors) all had noteworthy seasons, as well.
Ime Udoka (Celtics)
The Celtics kinda sucked at the start of the season and it felt like it was going to be another disappointing campaign in Beantown. Then around January 1, this team fell into a defensive system that started strangling the opposition and from then on, they've been pretty amazing. I was skeptical, but, man, they crush teams. They discombobulate teams, they keep everyone off-balance, I really can't remember anything like it my NBA watching years. The NBA is typically about offense because that's where the sexy stats are, and while people give lip service to defense (it wins championships, I'm told), only dudes that can't score ever really embraced it. But this Celtics team has power at both ends and the D has unleashed the offense. The Celtics are really balling right now, they're gonna be a tough out in the playoffs and considering that the roster hasn't changed much over the years, the difference is Coach Udoka getting his guys to buy in. Great regular season, I think they'll make a deep run in the playoffs (we'll see).
Also in the East, I thought JB Bickerstaff (Cavs), Eric Spoelstra (Heat), Nick Nurse (Raptors), and Mike Budenholzer (Bucks) had great seasons, too.
Executive of the Year
Bob Myers (Warriors)
I found it tougher than I thought it would be to pick a top exec in the West because most of the teams didn't really make any moves this year and in the end I decided that Warriors didn't make any moves better than everyone else. I didn't care much for the Grizzlies 2021 draft pick, I didn't care for the Suns creating havoc with Deandre Ayton and giving up on Jalen Smith (their 2020 draft pick), I didn't care for the Nuggets' one move (Bryn Forbes), and the Jazz not making big moves was probably a mistake for them. Looking around the West, I kinda like the Rockets and Thunder youth movements and the Spurs (nice supporting cast that just needs a star), but am I supposed to get excited about the Mavs giving up on Porzingis? Or the Blazers shipping out CJ McCollum (with an eye on shipping out Dame Lillard next)? Or the Kings swapping Tyrese Halliburton for Domantas Sabonis? Or the Pelicans never being able to coax Zion to come play basketball? Are we supposed to reward the Clippers and Wolves for not doing anything really stupid? (And, well, obviously the Lakers come in dead last in this metric) Do you see what I mean? The Warriors did nothing--could've traded away Wiseman or Kuminga or Moody or moved on from Wiggins--and that turned out to be the best (non) move because that team was already (sorta) set up for success. No moves was good moves (well, except for Utah).
Chad Buchanan (Pacers)
Yeah, seems weird to go for a non-playoff team here but the Pacers got Tyrese Halliburton and Buddy Hield (trade bait for this summer) for a guy they had to trade anyway (Domantas Sabonis), so they ended up getting a cornerstone PG for a dead weight contract and that's a great move. At best, it felt like everyone else was just putting out fires: Celtics had to move on from Denis Shroeder, the Knicks had to move on from Kemba Walker, the Sixers had to move on from Ben Simmons, the Nets had to move on from James Harden, while the Hawks and Hornets struggled to win with the best rosters either of them have had in years. The Bulls made some nice moves but their inability to beat good teams is kinda disturbing (seems like the Bulls are the natural winners of this award and, yet....are they?). The Wizards stepped up to take the next gamble on Porzingis. The Heat and the Bucks did well to not do much, while the Raptors drafted well and then refrained from doing much else. The Pistons did well to steal Marvin Bagley for nothing and the Magic did well to....well, they stayed out of the Don't Say Gay controversy, so....there's that. The Cavs drafted their guy last summer and made a raft of unexpectedly weird maneuvers to navigate their injuries and they deserve some credit. But it was the Pacers that most clearly turned a bad situation into a good one and are still looking at a top-10 pick, so I'm going with the 13th best team in the East.
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