We are little over 25% through the regular season in the NBA. Here are the top candidates to win Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year NBA awards.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Robert Covington
Covington has been known for his defensive prowess for quite some time. So far this season, he is averaging 1.1 blocks per game and nearly 3 steals per game (2.8). Covington earned NBA first team all-defense last season, and so far he’s been able to carry his defensive skills from the 76ers to the Timberwolves. Anyone who watches Covington play on the defensive end can quickly see that opposing offenses and players are forced to adjust the way they play to account for Covington being able to defend the two through four positions when he is on the court.
Sixth Man of the Year:
Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose has got to be one of, if not, the best story in the NBA as of late. He is currently averaging the most points since he missed the entire 2012-13 season with a torn ACL. He is also shooting his best career three-point percentage thus far (48.7%) and overall field goal percentage (49.8%). Derrick Rose has looked explosive and has had flashes of the ‘old Rose’ at times. Derrick Rose only sees about 29 minutes a game, but he’s made the most of all of them and is someone that the Timberwolves have relied on to score for them when the offense goes cold.
Most Improved Player:
Zach LaVine
At this point last season, LaVine was averaging 16.7 ppg, 3.0 apg and 2.9 rpg. This year, he is now averaging 24.5 ppg, 4.9 apg and 5.2 rpg, all of which are career highs for him. While some may point to the Bulls being a bad team as a reason LaVine is able to pad his stats, it is worth noting that he is shooting the ball at a 43.7% rate, which is also his career average. LaVine has come a long way from tearing his ACL in Minnesota and getting traded. This year, he has been the lone bright spot for the Bulls as they look for younger guys to step up. At just 23 years old, LaVine’s future is bright.
Rookie of the Year:
Luka Doncic
In today’s NBA, if a rookie is your best player, you are typically a team that is struggling on a game to game basis and is looking forward to the draft. Not only is Luka Doncic the best player on the Mavericks, but he is also leading them to positive results. The Mavs currently sit at 12-10 and while that may not look pretty, it’s good for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. I expect the Mavericks to not make the playoffs this season, but so far you have to look at Luka’s 18.6 ppg, 4.2 apg and 6.6 rpg as a reason why the Mavericks not only have hope, but early season success. Oh, did I mention he is just 19 years old?
Most Valuable Player:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
We all knew it was a matter of time before Giannis would make the next step and take over the league as its most valuable player. For the fifth season in a row, Giannis has improved his average points per game (27.6). The success for Giannis has also resulted in success for his team, which currently averages the most points in the league (121.4) and is 15-7, just 3.5 games back from the Raptors for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. The one knock on Giannis is his three-point shooting ability, as he is just 6/52 from deep this season (11.5%). It is very interesting to have conversations of Giannis winning the MVP award despite not being able to shoot three-point field goals when last year’s MVP James Harden made 265 threes.
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