Well, that happened fast.
The halfway point of the season has officially arrived for most NBA teams. The 2016-17 campaign has been a blast so far, featuring plenty of surprises (did you really think this Rockets experiment would work out so well? Or that Karl-Anthony Towns would already be usurped as the NBA’s next iconic star?), big plays (Giannis’ wild double-pump dunk, or that time Andrew Wiggins’ stole Javale McGee’s soul. Oops, wrong video. Here it is.), and already more mind-numbing statistical feats than in any season in recent memory (the Russ Westbrook triple-double watch— 17 and counting— James Harden‘s assist onslaught, Anthony Davis’ quietly-dominant campaign, or the fact that this year 28 ppg is only good for 5th in the NBA).
The season has also seen the NBA’s stable of bona fide superstars begin to expand— the likes of Towns, Antetokounmpo, Wiggins, Joel Embiid, and Kristaps Porzingis are emerging as the future faces of the NBA, while Harden, Westbrook, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard and others continue to set the standard for greatness.
But with familiar names in contention for the league’s most prestigious hardware, this clearly isn’t time for a change of guard quite yet. So without further ado, here are the NBA’s mid-season awards:
So, to answer the question in the headline… Yes. There are a ton of worthy candidates this season, but the closer you look the more clear it is that this is Westbrook’s season to own— and history will, and should, reflect that. His supporting cast is as lousy as it gets, yet Westbrook’s dominant campaign has the Thunder comfortably in a playoff spot (currently a six-seed). The counter-argument? Outisde of the top three or four, the West is actually quite terrible this season; to nab a bottom-four playoff seed in the conference this year isn’t as big a feat as usual.
But still, it’s impossible to ignore what Westbrook is bringing to the table. Aside from averaging a triple-double while scoring 31 points a night, he’s been— by far— the most clutch performer this season, comfortably leading the league in points and made field goals in the clutch. Sure, that’s because the Thunder don’t have any other real options but to get the ball into Westbrook’s hands and promptly get out of the way, but credit to him for converting his chances and giving OKC a chance to win night in and night out. I could have easily gone with any of the honourable mentions and slept well at night (because of my Casper mattress, of course. No, they’re not actually sponsor of this column, nor do I own one. But to the good people at Casper who may be reading this: I can be bought), but Westbrook is ultimately the most deserving.
Honourable mention (…in order): LeBron James (still the same old King and the engine of a team again eyeing a championship), James Harden (his numbers are partially explained by the Rockets’ up-tempo system, but he’s still put the team on his back as they’ve emerged as an intriguing contender), Kawhi Leonard (no player has the two-way impact of Kawhi, who has led the Spurs to another dominant season despite a ho-hum supporting cast compared to most years), Kevin Durant (has been absolutely everything the Warriors could have dreamed of, not to mention the best player on the NBA’s best team).
Side note: Poor Anthony Davis. How do you put up 29.3 points/12.3 rebounds/2.5 blocks with a PER of 28.45, push your team near playoff contention, and are still unable to crack the top 5 in MVP voting? Again, it’s been a good season for NBA fans thus far.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Joel Embiid
“The Process” isn’t even playing every game and is still on a minutes restriction after missing the last two seasons to foot injuries. But man has it been worth the wait.
Embiid leads the NBA in blocks per 36 minutes (33), and has shown off a wide-ranging skill-set that includes a deep shooting range, speed and quickness, imposing physicality, crunch-time proficiency, and an ability to absolutely dominate stretches of games on both ends of the floor. Simply put: He’s the real deal and a future superstar, should his health issues remain in the rearview. Even better? Embiid’s lowly Sixers are even winning games now, five of their last seven to be exact.
Honourable mentions: Malcom Brogdon (Bucks guard and a second-round pick already has a triple-double under his belt and has been a consistent performer for Milwaukee. Oh, and he posterized LeBron, so…), Buddy Hield (over 42 per cent shooting over the last ten games has Buddy starting to make his mark in New Orleans), Dario Saric (despite a logjam of big men, he’s getting extended burn as an oversized three for Philadelphia, and scoring in double digits during the team’s hot streak), Pascal Siakam (never a real contender, but starting for a top team in the Conference has to mean something. Too bad he’s completely fallen out of Dwane Casey’s rotation).
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike D’Antoni
Credit to GM Darryl Morey for loading Houston’s roster with shooters who can fit into D’Antonio’s extremely high-tempo, but the coach deserves his due for helping to turn what looked like a questionable experiment on paper into a West contender. Not only does D’Antonio give his players a perpetual green light, but he had the foresight to recognize Harden as a legit point guard and has helped the team flourish by utilizing the MVP-candidates skills as a facilitator and not just a scorer as he’s mainly been in the past.
Honourable mentions: David Fizdale (The first-year Grizzlies bench boss has his team outplaying their talent level and already has two (!) signature wins against the Warriors this season), Quinn Snyder (The Utah coach has survived a ton of injuries early this season yet has the Jazz looking like sleeping giants out West), Gregg Popovich (Seriously, look at the Spurs roster).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Draymond Green
Green’s season has been somewhat overshadowed by his co-stars in Oakland, but he’s yet again been the anchor of one of the NBA’s best defences (the Warriors rank third in defensive efficiency). Green has been better than ever, averaging a career-best 2.1 steals per game (3rd in the league) and 1.2 blocks as the vocal leader of the Warriors’ back end.
Honourable mentions: Rudy Gobert (leads NBA in defensive rating— and the Jazz are, un-coincidentally, the league’s best defensive club so far), Kawhi Leonard (a lot of what Leonard brings to the table— ability to cover space, guard multiple positions, alter shots and wreak havoc turning defense into offense— is hard to quantify), Anthony Davis (leads the league in blocks and steals the ball with ease like a seven-foot Payton).
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Eric Gordon
A feel-good story/reclamation project, Gordon’s career was left for dead in New Orleans (remember: he was once the centrepiece in the Clippers’ trade for Chris Paul), only to have landed in Houston playing for a coach and in a system that is utilizing his biggest strength (shooting) in the most dramatic way possible. Gordon has been launching an absurd amount of triples from deep (14 games with double-digit 3pt attempts so far!) and is converting them at a rate of 41.1 per cent while averaging 18 points per game for a team poised to host a first-round playoff series.
Honourable mentions: Lou Williams (the Lakers leading scorer comes off the bench, which is neat), Zach Randolph (quietly putting up vintage Z-Bo performances for a very good Grizzlies team), Jamal Crawford (you know the drill).
MOST IMPROVED
Jabari Parker
The Bucks’ forward has overcome injuries that plagued his first two seasons to prove that the Wiggins vs. Parker debates prior to the 2014 draft were completely warranted. Parker is averaging more than 20 points per game as Antetokounmpo’s sidekick in Milwaukee, forming as promising a core as there is in the NBA. Parker, 21, has introduced a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal and has established himself as an unstoppable force in the open court, yet another reason to ‘Fear the Dear’ for years to come. There are plenty of deserving players here, but the fact that Parker is logging major minutes and playing a significant role for a playoff contender gives him the edge.
Honourable mentions: Zach LaVine (scoring more than 20 per game and hasn’t cooled since the season started), Myles Turner (continuing from where he left off vs. the Raptors in the playoffs last year— a future all-star for sure), Kristaps Porzingis (a ‘project’ player a year ago, he already looks ready to lead a team and be the face of the Knicks franchise).
MOST UNTOUCHABLE PLAYER
Giannis Antetokounmpo
As the likes of LeBron age, and countless other stars cash in on massive long-term paydays that could ultimately handcuff their teams, this season would make for an incredibly tough call atop the list. But ultimately, one name soars above all.
At 22 years of age, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is already one of the NBA’s best— a dominant two-way player whose stunningly long limbs haven’t even begun to reach the ceiling of what he may become. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, but expect Milwaukee to resign the face of their franchise. Nevermind the stat-stuffing (the ‘Greek Freak’ leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. no big deal.), what’s most promising about him may be his fearlessness and desire to dominate opponents. It’s the perfect formula for a bona fide NBA overlord. With Giannis already leading the Bucks to a playoff spot, we won’t have to wait long to watch the transformation take place.