SGA – Floor General

Mid-Season NBA Awards

Recently, the NBA announced that they renamed the majority of the awards for individual players in honor of different legends. With the NBA season months underway, it’s time to crown the players who I believe have played up to the standards of these awards.

Michael Jordan MVP Award: Nikola Jokic

While Jokic, the reigning back-to-back MVP, will likely not receive the award no matter what due to the media’s tendency to look for a new recipient, he certainly has played like the MVP so far. With his second and third options Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returning, Jokic has decreased the scoring volume in favor of record-breaking efficiency and outstanding assist numbers. This year, he’s averaging 25.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 9.0 APG, all on an unbelievable 69.2 TS% (11.7% above league average, to give an idea of how efficient he has been). Giving the award to the same player three years in a row may be boring, but Jokic has clearly played like an MVP. On top of all of that, he has led the Nuggets to the third seed in the West, an impressive feat considering the depth and talent of the Western Conference.

Hakeem Olajuwon Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis

Davis has been the Lakers’ best player this year, and much of that is due to his defense. Coming into this season, doubts on the ability of Davis were at an all-time high, but AD has silenced the critics with his play this year. On defense, he looks reminiscent of the New Orleans and 2020 Los Angeles versions of himself that dominated the defensive side of the ball because of his generational combination of versatility, help defense, and rim protection. Davis will likely not be the runaway winner of this award, as he has just suffered an injury that has slated him to miss at least a month of basketball. Still, up to this point, he has looked like the clear best defender in the sport. Averaging 1.3 steals and 2.1 blocks per contest, Davis boasts an impressive defensive rating of 105.8. This stat highlights his defensive ability even more when looking at the context of it, as defensive rating is largely influenced by a player’s team, and the Lakers were not built for defense as evidenced by their collective 112.5 defensive rating.

Wilt Chamberlain Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero

Not much needs to be said about this pick. With Chet Holmgren, the #2 pick, suffering a season-ending injury before the season even started in an already weak class, Banchero was the ROTY favorite from day one. However, that statement is not meant to take away from Banchero’s excellence this year. The Duke product is averaging a nice 22.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 3.9 APG this year on 55.9 TS%. While the stats themselves are enough to crown Paolo already, I encourage every NBA fan to catch a Magic game so that they can see just how good Paolo is. When watching him and how he plays, there is a clear comparison: LeBron James. Banchero has not only established himself as the runaway Rookie of the Year, but he has also made a case to be a fringe All-Star. With that being said, the NBA could just give him the award right now and face little criticism from the rest of the league.

John Havlicek Sixth Man of the Year: Malcolm Brogdon

Brogdon went from a high-caliber starting point guard on the Pacers to the offensive engine of the Celtics’ bench, and the transition has been seamless for him. This year, Brogdon is averaging a respectable 13.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, all on an efficient 61.9 TS%. More importantly, Brogdon has filled an important hole on this Celtics team, which is his role as an extra ball handler and playmaker that can pressure opposing defenses. Brogdon’s contributions have helped the Celtics steamroll the NBA on their way to a league best 23-10 record, and for that, he has more than earned the Sixth Man of the Year title.

George Mikan Most Improved Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SGA is currently the runaway favorite on virtually all betting platforms to win this award, and it’s for good reason. Last year, Shai was a fringe All-Star candidate averaging 24.5 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 5.0 RPG on 55.7 TS%. This year, the Kentucky product has been playing like a top ten player, averaging 31.6 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 4.8 RPG on a much improved 62.0 TS%. And although Shai is on a rebuilding Thunder squad, he’s playing at such a high-level to the point where OKC can’t lose all their games even if they were trying. For a team that many “experts” thought were going to be at the bottom of the standings, the Thunder have managed a respectable 14-19 record, and that’s mostly due to the play of SGA. He’s improved in all facets of his game, most notably his scoring, efficiency, and defense. The Most Improved Player would be the cherry on top for the season Shai has had, as he will surely receive an All-Star nod as well as an All-NBA selection.

Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

On top of being the Most Improved Player, I have Shai taking home more hardware as this year’s Clutch Player of the Year. Honestly, I think the award itself is pointless and will just be given to a player who has a good reputation in the media as a “clutch player.” However, if I did have to award it to someone, it would be SGA. Shai is currently the league’s leader in total clutch points, and sixth in clutch points per game. He also has hit two game-winning buzzer-beating shots so far, which in my opinion puts him ahead of other competitors. DeMar Derozan is also a strong candidate for the award, averaging more clutch points per game than Shai, and likely has a better shot at winning it due to his reputation.

Concluding Thoughts

The league is at an all-time high level of talent, and picking winners for these awards was not easy. In reality, most of the candidates I picked will likely not win their respective awards at the end of the year; however, every player listed here is deserving in their own way.

Who is the Third Best Point Guard in the NBA?

Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic have solidifed themseslves as the top two point guards in the NBA with their stellar play over the last few years. However, there seems to not be this same consensus over who the third best point guard is. With a week of the NBA season underway, I’ll be going over five players who I believe to be strong candidates for this title.

Damian Lillard

Stats as of 11/5: 31.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 67.1% ts

Lillard disappointed many fans last season as he only played half the season due to a lingering abdominal injury and looked mediocre in those games. This year, Lillard looks like the previous version of himself that was viewed as the consensus second best point guard in the league. He’s gotten off to a firey start, leading the Blazers to a 4-1 record (they were undefeated before he left their last game early due to injury.) While the efficiency will likely drop, Lillard has proven that his time dominating the league isn’t close to being over. He remains one of the league’s best scorers and playmakers and will likely find himself in MVP conversations if he can muster a respectable record with this Blazers roster.

James Harden

stats as of 11/5: 22.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 10.0 apg, 59.1% ts

Similar to Dame, Harden is another veteran superstar who is returning to his standards of play after an injury-riddled season. Harden is not the 35 PPG scorer he was in Houston, but he’s looking like the elite playmaker he was in his first year in Brooklyn. After having a full offseason to heal his hamstring, there’s a night and day difference between his quickness this season and last season. Harden’s also added the mid-range shot to his arsenal this season, an element that he lost in Houston. Harden plays with so much control and poise, and it feels like every time he has the ball, he creates a good look. This year, Harden has proven to be an efficient secondary scoring option while looking like one of the best guards when it comes to actually running an offense.

Trae Young

Stats as of 11/5: 28.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 9.4 apg, 52.6% ts

There’s not much to be said about Trae Young that hasn’t already been said. Trae’s stats are down across the board this year, most notably in efficiency, but it is to be expected as he adjusts to playing alongisde Dejounte Murray, another lead guard. By himself, he can make a team into an elite offensive team, being one of the best scorers and playmakers in the league. The question with Trae, however, has always been his defense. While bad guard defense can be hidden, Trae’s defense is such a detriment to the point where it drags down his team signficantly, and that has not changed much this year. If Trae can take the leap on defense and become a normal below-average defender, this spot may comfortably be his.

Ja Morant

stats as of 11/5: 29.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 7.0 apg, 63.2 ts%

Ja has picked up where he left off last season, continuing to play at an MVP level for this Grizzlies team that’s without arguably their second-best player. Ja has also made noticeable improvements in many of the weak areas of his game, most noticeably his three-point shooting. Ja is shooting a blazing 50.0% from three this year. That’s obviously going to come back to earth, but if Ja can shoot above 37% this year, he becomes even more deadly. Ja is one of the best scorers in the league, getting into the paint whenever he wants and finishing at an absurdly high rate. He combines this rim-pressure with an amazing ability to pass the ball, making him both one of the best scorers in the league as well as one of the best playmakers. Don’t be surprised to see him in the running for MVP if the Grizzlies can replicate their regular-season success from last year.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

stats as of 11/5: 30.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.9 APG, 62.5% ts

Shai being on this list may be a surprise to some, but to those that have watched him over the past two years, this is just the caliber of player he is. Similar to Ja, Shai is one of the best scorers in the league who can get to the paint whenever he wants. Shai has also constantly been improving his passing and decision-making ability, which he uses to supplement the defensive attention he gets, making him one of the best playmakers in the league as well. What makes Shai’s statline even more impressive is his situation, as this young Thunder team that struggles in shooting the ball is not exactly built for his needs. Even with this, Shai is far from a “good stats, bad team” player that some people make him out to be. He’s lead this young Thunder team to a .500 record while other tanking teams are at the bottom of their conferences. Shai’s also taken a huge leap on the defensive end this year, being laser-focused and finally using his long wingspan to become a borderline lockdown defender. Shai has been playing at an MVP level so far, and he should add some accolades under his belt this year.

Conclusion

The huge number of players in the second tier of point guards this season is truly astounding. All five of these players each have a solid argument for being the third best point guard in the league, and while I didn’t rank them, I truly believe there is no wrong way to rank them and that I myself couldn’t come to a conclusion on how to go about that.