NBA Award Watch: Draymond Green dominating defensively
As the NBA enters the holiday season, here are the front-runners for the six major individual awards in this week’s NBA Award Watch.
The NBA will have its most lavish day of holiday celebration with five marquee games on Christmas Day, including a mouth-watering matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.
As we all prepare to hang out with our extended family for the second time in two months, let’s take a moment to look at the front-runners for the six major individual awards in the NBA with this week’s NBA Award Watch. Stats current as of Wednesday, Dec. 21.
Dec 21, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dances as New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) walks away during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Thunder defeated the Pelicans 121-110. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Most Valuable Player: Russell Westbrook
The NBA MVP race is starting to heat up. Through the first three weeks of December, the two favorites are Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and Houston Rockets point/shooting guard James Harden. Anthony Davis is likely third favorite having put up some monster numbers for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Westbrook beats out Harden this week, as he continues to average a triple-double for a playoff team. Through 29 games, Westbrook is averaging 31.3 points, 10.8 assists and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Westbrook leads the NBA in PER (30.0), assist percentage (58.4 percent), usage (41.9 percent), Offensive Box Plus/Minus (9.8), Box Plus/Minus (14.0) and Value Over Replacement Player (4.1).
Davis plays for a bad Pelicans team, so despite his individual success, he won’t have a realistic shot at the MVP until his team at least approaches .500. Harden could very well win this award, as his Rockets don’t seem like they’re cooling off any time soon. But if Westbrook keeps up his current, triple-double pace, no one can stop him.
Dec 11, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) wait for a rebound during a free throw in the second half at Target Center. The Warriors won 116-108. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
The Defensive Player of the Year award looks like it’s going to be the most highly contested in the NBA this season. Several players have looked like front-runners for the award at different points already. It’s going to go to a frontcourt player, but which one?
Golden State Warriors power forward/center Draymond Green is the latest to make a case for himself, following the likes of Andre Drummond, Rudy Gobert, Dwight Howard and Hassan Whiteside.
Though Utah remains highly competitive, Green’s Warriors are as good as they’ve ever been at 25-4 through 29 games. His importance as the best defensive player on the best team in basketball can’t be overstated.
Green leads the NBA in Defensive Box Plus/Minus at 5.2 and is responsible for 2.1 Defensive Win Shares. For a team that we all thought was going to have issues with frontcourt defense, Green has picked up the slack and should be rewarded with his first Defensive Player of the Year award.
Dec 20, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Pelicans won 108-93. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie of the Year: Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is going to win 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year. That’s about all there is to it. He’s only played in 19 games for the 76ers, but in his time on the court, Embiid has been the best first-year player in the NBA by a wide margin.
Embiid is averaging 17.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in only 24.3 minutes per contest. His PER of 22.4 is through the roof for a rookie frontcourt player, and he’s a menace on both ends of the floor.
On offense, Embiid is shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from beyond the arc and 74.1 at the charity stripe. This leads to an effective field goal percentage of 51.0 percent. His passing continues to improve. Embiid’s prototype as an NBA player is a stretch Hakeem Olajuwon.
He’s holding his own defensively, too. Embiid has 0.8 Defensive Win Shares and a Defensive Box Plus/Minus of 2.9. Denver Nuggets sharpshooter Jamal Murray has made a strong case for himself as well, but Embiid has gotten off to such a fast start it will be next to impossible even for Murray to catch him.
Dec 9, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha (25) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Most Improved Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The NBA’s Most Improved Player has to be Milwaukee Bucks point forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s been impressive all season in his new point forward role, and is showing the kind of consistency the Bucks will need if they’re going to make it to the playoffs.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 22.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for Milwaukee this season. His Bucks feel like an Eastern Conference playoff team, all things being equal, and can maybe win a first-round series with the Greek Freak as the star.
Antetokounmpo has a career-best PER of 27.3 and is already responsible for 4.7 Win Shares for this young Bucks team. In year four in the NBA, we seem to have found the next great superstar in the East. LeBron James isn’t going to be in his prime forever.
There’s an argument now, given Antetokounmpo’s performances this season, that the Bucks will be the next team in the East without James on it to make the Finals. Antetokounmpo is only 22 years old — he’s just getting started on what projects to be a sensational NBA career.
Dec 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) reacts during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Sixth Man of the Year: Enes Kanter
Two players have emerged as front-runners for Sixth Man of the Year: Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Lou Williams and Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter. Williams would be a repeat winner, having won the award with the 2014-15 Toronto Raptors. He’s one of the best spot-up shooters coming off an NBA bench, but the Lakers aren’t very good.
Williams has probably been the best sixth man in the NBA this season, but with the Lakers in the middle of a major rebuilding project, it seems unlikely his individual success will be recognized. That makes Kanter, the Thunder’s backup center, the most likely candidate to win the award.
Backup centers don’t typically win Sixth Man of the Year, but Kanter is massively important to the Thunder’s success. He’s averaging 12.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, with 2.4 Win Shares, and a league-best 24.4 PER among non-starters. Kanter isn’t glamorous, but he’s efficient and gives Billy Donovan’s Thunder bench an important edge.
Dec 21, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni reacts in the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Rockets defeated the Suns 125-111. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Coach of the Year: Mike D’Antoni
Mike D’Antoni should be coach of the year for the fantastic job he’s doing with the Houston Rockets. People hated that he got another head coaching job, but he has a superstar in James Harden that’s every bit as good as Steve Nash was for the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns.
Houston saw a 10-game winning streak snap at home earlier this week to the best road team in basketball in the San Antonio Spurs. Houston should finish in the top four in the Western Conference standings and win a playoff series at the very minimum.
D’Antoni’s Rockets are second in points per game at 113.0 and fourth in offensive efficiency at 114.5. Despite being known as strictly an offensive-mind, D’Antoni has wisely partnered with a strong defensive coordinator in Jeff Bzdelik. Bzdelik’s defense is 20th in points per game and 16th in defensive efficiency.
When D’Antoni was hired by the Rockets, we all kind of suspected it would be an extreme version of the Suns, a Paul Westhead Loyola Marymount team or a Doug Moe Nuggets team: one speed, go! This is an offense-first team, but the offense is good enough to take them deep in the playoffs.
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