It’s been a hectic first half of the NBA full of Russell Westbrook triple doubles, an absurd number of centers shooting three-pointers at a surprisingly efficient rate, Demarcus Cousins and Carmelo Anthony Trade rumors, Isaiah Thomas declaring himself the best player in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors becoming scary good, and all that is everything Joel Embiid. Nearing the halfway point of the season, it’s about the right time to acknowledge the best of the best of the NBA thus far. Here are my picks for the NBA’s seven signature individual awards: Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Executive of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.
Rookie of the Year: Joel Embiid, Center, Philadelphia 76ers
Trust. The. Process. We’ve waited two years to witness the Kansas product play in the NBA and boy was it worth it. Playing only 25.3 minutes per game, Embiid has been on a tear this season averaging 19.8, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. The Sixers have been very strict on Embiid’s minutes limit as he has not played more than 30 minutes a game and sits out the second game of a back-to-back. When does play, Embiid flashes his dynamic offensive game of veteran post moves, soft touch around the rim, and occasionally running the pick and roll… as the point guard. The Kansas product has been just as effective and dominant on the defensive end as well. The 76er’s defensive rating increases from 98.5% when Embiid is on the court to 107.8% when he is off the court. Granted backups Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor haven’t lived up to their expectations, Embiid is transcending the Sixers defense and offense. It will be fun to see Embiid’s game improve especially when fellow rookie and number one overall pick Ben Simmons returns from a foot injury.
Honorable Mentions: Malcolm Brogdon, Dario Saric
Most Improved Player: Isaiah Thomas, Point Guard, Boston Celtics
I’m going to throw out two different individual season stats. Player 1: 27.8 PTS/game, 45.3 field goal percentage, 36.4 three point percentage, 6.4 AST/game, 33.5 MINS/game. Player 2: 27.6 PTS/game, 41.4 field goal percentage, 27.7 three point percentage, 5.5 AST/game, 42.5 MINS/game. Player 1 is Isaiah Thomas this season at age 27 and player 2 is Thomas’ idol Allen Iverson during his 27 age season. Iverson is arguably one of the greatest point guards to play the game so the fact that Thomas is averaging nearly identical numbers is astonishing considering six years ago he had is name called last in the 2011 draft. Thomas has been coming into his own as a superstar and late game assassin, leading the NBA with 9.9 points per game in the fourth quarter. The 5’9’’ point guard is fueling the Celtics’ successful first half and will be looking to continue to prove haters wrong on the Celtics’ quest to dethrone the Cavs in the east.
Honorable Mentions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Harrison Barnes
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon, Shooting Guard, Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have been a pleasant surprise this season and a big reason for that has been offseason free agent acquisition, Eric Gordon. After being a regular starter in New Orleans, Gordon has accepted his role coming off the bench and leading the charge for the second unit. Gordon is second among bench players in scoring averaging 17.4 points per game behind only Los Angelas’s Lou Williams who is averaging 17.8 points per game. When on the floor with star James Harden (more on him later), Eric Gordon fits perfectly as a spot up shooter but has the ability to lead the offense when Harden is off the floor. Sitting in third place in the western conference standings, Houston will need Gordon to continue his stellar play into the second half of the season if they want to stay at the top of the loaded western conference.
Honorable Mentions: Lou Williams, Will Barton
Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Center, Utah Jazz
The Stifle Tower has been a dominant rim protector this season and the anchor of one of the top defenses in the NBA. Gobert is tied for the lead league in blocks with 2.5 blocks per game and opponents are only shooting 47 percent when Gobert is within six feet of the shot. The French center also holds the league leading defensive rating as well as a continuing growing confidence level. When Quin Snyder replaced Tyrone Corbin before the 2014 season, he immediately upgraded Gobert’s who responded instantly. Gobert is on pace for a third consecutive top three finish in blocks but knows he could be getting more if teams tried to attack him more often. “I think they’re just being smart. They don’t need to come and get their shot blocked every time, so they’re just thinking about it a little more.” Good health, strong rim protection, and a growing confidence level gives Rudy Gobert all the tools to finish as this season’s best defensive player.
Honorable Mentions: Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard
Executive of the Year: Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors
Considering the Warriors own the best record in the NBA (39-7) it only seems right for them to have some representation on this list. However, it’s not Kevin Durant or Draymond Green or Klay Thompson or even Steph Curry. It’s man who is the architect of the star-studded Golden State Warriors. After a disappointing finals loss and end to their historic regular season, Bob Myers and the Warriors organization focused all their efforts on one offseason goal: bring Kevin Durant to the Bay area. Myers did not convince Durant to sign with the Warriors all on his own but he was heavily involved in every step of the process. Once he brought Durant on board, Myers quickly had to fill out the rest of the roster with little to no cap space. The Warriors had to say goodbye Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, and Marreese Speights but were able to obtain veterans Zaza Pachulia and David West. The Golden State Warriors are yet again playing the best basketball in the NBA because of the talent on the floor, the coach on the sidelines, and the man sitting the executive suite responsible for building this basketball powerhouse.
Honorable Mentions: Daryl Morey, Dennis Lindsey
Coach of the Year: Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have made a complete 180 from last year’s disappointing campaign. They finished as the eighth seed with a 41-41 record and were bounced by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Yet again Mike D’Antoni is revolutionizing the NBA with his fast paced and highly efficient offense. Although the Rockets were able to bring in floor spacers Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson this offseason, D’Antoni’s best coaching decision thus far was moving James Harden to full time point guard. Unleashing all of Harden’s playmaking capabilities has led to Houston averaging 114.3 points per game, second in the league, and a league 39.7 three pointers attempted per game at 36.7 percent. After successfully revamping the Phoenix Suns and transforming Steve Nash into a 2x MVP in the early 2000s, D’Antoni has struggled to find the right personnel to run his system until now. With his creative offensive mind and Harden’s out of this world playmaking abilities, the sky is the limit for these Rockets.
Honorable Mentions: Brad Stevens, Quin Snyder
Most Valuable Player: James Harden, Point Guard, Houston Rockets
After a rocky season last year filled with coach Kevin McHale’s early season firing and locker room trouble with former teammate Dwight Howard, James Harden has taken his game to a whole new stratosphere. Harden leads the Rockets in points (28.6), assists (11.6), and rebounds (8.1) per game. His transition to full time point guard has skyrocketed his usage rate and is on pace to become the first player since Nate Archibald in 1972-73 to lead the league in both points and assists. He also can become the first guard ever to lead the league in double-doubles, although the NBA’s available data only goes back to 1996-97. Russell Westbrook has been a triple-double machine and Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry both play for teams with better records. He’s still very shaky on the defensive end but Harden fits the MVP mold perfectly this season. He plays the role of future hall-a-famer Steve Nash in D’Antoni’s system and might even be a more effective player than Nash was. Ever since he came into this league eight years ago, James Harden has continuously improved and expanded all aspects of his game and is showing the entire NBA his greatness.
Honorable Mentions: Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard
All stats curtiousy of Basketball Reference (http://www.basketball-reference.com/) and ESPN (http://www.espn.com/)
