Tonight's NBA Award Finalists Are:
Tonight is NBA Awards Night!! June 26th, 2017 @ 9PM EST/6PM PST
Above are your TOP 3 finalists of this year's regular season awards - based on votes from media and other parties.
I'm curious to hear your picks for these awards. Comment below and let me know your picks!
Here's my list:
MVP - Russell Westbrook
ROY - Malcolm Brogdon
MIP - Nikola Jokic
Defensive Player of the Year - Kawhi Leonard
6th Man of the Year - Eric Gordon
Analysis
- MVP - Russ was an absolute beast this season. His motor's on 100% all the time! Of course his stats speak for itself; but, he just lost Kevin Durant to the Warriors, and he basically did not have a 2nd option on the team. It's A1 and A2 with him and Harden this season though because they both had spectacular seasons. I would say Harden's the more efficient player (except turnovers), but Russell's the more valuable player on his team. If either player got the nod, I would be content. He literally does everything for them! He feeds people the ball. He can get his own shot off at any time. He's explosive to the rim, and he's definitely a smarter player. Kudos to Russell for a great season.
- ROY - Malcolm simply played more games, and came out of nowhere! We all had certain expectations of "The Process" in Philly. Even though he had good games, he was limited with playing time and didn't provide a long enough season for me to get the nod. He did play spectacular in the small sample size; but, I think Malcolm played big games in the playoffs, was fearless going to the rim (see this), and has such an IQ. He gets my nod.
- MIP - the Joker! Oh man, did he breakout this season or what? I initially had my vote for the Greek Freak, but you cannot discount what Nikola Jokic did this season. I did not expect him to be this good. I honestly knew the potential of Giannis given his physical features and work ethic, but Jokic surprised me completely. Running point guard, getting triple doubles, behind the backs, fearless, extremely smart, playing in the All-Star USA vs. World game, and most of all, being literally helping the Nuggets be only 1 game away from the 8th spot in the Western conference playoffs. Crazy!
- DPOY - Kawhi Leonard. The humble assassin. He does everything on the court! He defends, blocks timely shots, steals the ball right out of people's hands, and pester's people with his physicality, strength, and great body control. You see his impact on both floors when he's not on the court (Game 1 against the Warriors). I would choose Kawhi over Draymond to defend all five positions because he's both agile and strong to cover them all effectively. I do think that Draymond has a slight edge in his IQ on defense, but Kawhi's just been dominant in the regular season. Draymond did have a memorable triple double with steals, an impressive feat, but I'd still pick Kawhi at this point.
- Sixth man - Eric Gordon. Great shooter. He added spark and energy off the bench, and provided Harden with an extra ball handler. He could create his shoot and was deadly behind the ark. He torched opponent's 2nd units. After all, he was a starter with the Pelicans!
So there you have it! My picks, and quick explanations for each pick. Looking forward to watching it later tonight. And of course, representing the 6ix himself, Drake will be hosting the 1st ever NBA award show!
Don't forget to upvote, resteem, and comment below! Who is Who is Your NBA MVP, ROY, MIP, DPOY, 6th Man?!
Source: 1
ROTY next year is gonna be such a crazy race... I'm a 6ers fan so rooting for Markelle and Simmons, but it could be like 10 different players atm.
100% agree with you! Of course, I gotta go with the hometown kid, OG Anunoby as a ROY sleeper for this season (provided he plays the minimum amount of games - he tore his ACL last January and he's targeting the beginning of the season to be fully healthy).
I think Markelle will thrive being in the Philly system. Young talent indeed. If Simmons plays PG, I think Markelle would be comfortable since he's a gifted scorer.
The other candidates are crazy as well! Hoping for a healthy, successful season for them. Before that though, we should all get ramped up and excited for this year's Summer League in Orlando and Vegas! Looking to see how they fare against similar talent. The NBA season's a totally different animal.
Thanks for your comment @timecop :) I see the Sixers playing with the 8th spot this season, but I'm not sure given the boost in talent and the unknown this offseason. All the best to your team! :D
Nice post
Thank you @dadapizzaa :)
You are welcome!
Yes. I agree with your pics outside of a couple:
MVP - Russell Westbrook - Easy pick for me as he made history.
ROY - Malcolm Brogdon - Yes he deserves it. A 2nd round pick as well.
MIP -Rudy Gobert - He improved ALL across the board including making all NBA 1st team defense. Plays both sides of the court. 66% from the floor. Led the NBA in blocks. Gotta go with Rudy.
Defensive Player of the Year - Patrick Beverley. He was tenacious this year.
6th Man of the Year - Eric Gordon - He shares my name so he wins easily.
Sounds good! Based on the actual picks from yesterday, you got 3/5 :) Not bad at all. And I think MIP and DPOY were debatable since all of them were worthy candidates. I like your reasoning for each - 6th man is definitely a no brainer :p Thanks for sharing @ericgordon :)
Nice picks ,,all have merit but Im picking Draymond for DPOY
Well, to be fair, Draymond did win last night, so great choice indeed :D Definitely a worthy candidate for the DPOY. Thanks for adding your input @scalerman :)
Thanks back @mrray!. I love b-ball so I'll be seeing ya around steemit! :)