As the NBA season comes to a close teams are gearing up to either start a long playoff run, or have the one or two freshmen declare for the draft that can change their future for the better. But until then there need to be some awards given out to the dudes that have been balling all season long. The guys that appear on this list are the ones that have been putting in work from opening tip and deserve the recognition.
6 man of the Year: Lou Williams Toronto Raptors
Lou Williams, for the Toronto, is our six man of the year. He is averaging 15.1 on 40% shooting for the Atlantic Division Champs. Lou has been vital for the success of the Raptors with Kyle Lowery and Demar Derozan being injured throughout the season. Williams will be key to bring scoring off the bench for the Raptors to advance deep into the playoffs. 2nd place Vince Cater of the Grizzles and 3rd Jamaal Crawford of the LA Clippers.
Most Improved Player: Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis seems to be on pace to becoming the best player in basketball, so this award seems to be just a stepping stone for what it seems to be a great career. Davis is averaging 24.1 points per game of 54% shooting while playing great defense, leading the lead in blocks at 2.2 a game. Davis is a player that all teams would love to have for the next 10 years as the leader of their franchise. 2nd place Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors 3rd Brandon Knight of Phoenix Suns.
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green Golden State Warriors
There is no bad choice for this award of DOY. Marc Gasol, Anthony Davis, and teammate Andrew Bogut all deserve votes for this award; but Green is the reason why the Warriors have the best defense in the NBA. His ability to guard four of the five positions on the court. As playing the under size power forward, Green is able to switch on most pick and rolls and still recover to stop a point guards penetration or a forward rolling to the rim. 2nd place Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, 3rd place Andrew Bogut Golden State Warriors.
Coach of the Year: Mike Budenholzer
This is a real easy choice. No one had Atlanta Hawks as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. For people that want to hate on the team for not having a superstar player on their roaster look at the fact that they have played well against the top teams in the West and the East. Success for them in the playoffs is still to be determined, but nothing can take away from the wins that Budenholzer had provided to the team. 2nd place Steve Kerr, 3rd place Jason Kidd.
Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry
This might be the closest race for MVP in about five years. Typically winning the MVP isn’t about being the best player in the leauge, or achieving the most, but about the best story line fitting with the best player. Westbrook and Harden have strong cases because of the injuries to their teammates (Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard). But Stephen Curry has done the most to win this award. He has lead the best team in the NBA to the best record in the league. His team has the Warriors 10 games better then the next best team in the west. He is in the top 6 of both scoring and assists and shooting 43% from 3-point land. He will have tough competition for this award; however, it would be a statement if he is able to win. 2nd James Harden of the Houston Rockets 3rd Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
information via (ESPN)
KingJut (KingJut92)
