Monthly 2014-15 NBA Awards: Selecting the November Winner in Every Category
The first full month of the 2014-15 NBA season is in the books, which means two things.
First, we've almost passed the juncture when every observation has to be qualified with a "but it's still early" caveat. Almost.
Second, we've reached a logical checkpoint for singling out NBA award front-runners.
We'll run down all of the leaders and contenders for each major end-of-season honor, focusing on the stats they've accumulated to this point and acknowledging the contexts in which those numbers have been amassed. Put more simply, team records are going to factor into individual awards. They have to...but they're not the most important consideration.
Nobody's saying this is how the races will end up in April; these selections are based strictly on how each player, executive or coach has performed to this point.
Finally, enjoy, argue over and consider these November awards with a few important thoughts in your mind: Kevin Durant hasn't played a game yet, Anthony Davis could be summoned back to his home planet at any time and LeBron James could decide he's done playing possum as soon as tomorrow.
Awards forthcoming.
Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers
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Per-Game Averages: 18.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
A hot start from Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas made it seem like Jamal Crawford's days as the NBA's primary bench chucker were finished. But as the season's first month played out, the 34-year-old vet proved he wasn't ready to relinquish his sixth-man crown just yet.
Crawford is in (very early) position to win his third Sixth Man of the Year award for two key reasons: He's been more efficient than Thomas, and he's logged significantly more minutes on the season. The Clippers combo guard hasn't been shy from long range (when has he ever been?), leading to a 61.1 to 59.5 percent advantage over Thomas in true shooting percentage.
When your primary role is to come off the bench and provide offense, efficient shooting is critical. Crawford has simply outdone Thomas in that area.
More broadly, Los Angeles' deteriorating wing situation (Matt Barnes can't score, and J.J. Redick has been shaky on both ends) means the Clips need Crawford's production more than ever. Consequently, his value may be at an all-time high.
Thomas, on the other hand, is redundant in Phoenix. And although he's played well, it's hard to ignore the way he's eaten into the minutes and productivity of Goran Dragic—who was an All-NBA performer in his breakout 2013-14 campaign.
A closing shout-out is in order. Marreese Speights has been a revelation for the Golden State Warriors this year and is playing the best ball of his career on both ends. He ranks in the Association's top five in PER and has been a second-unit anchor on offense.
Runner-Up: Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns
Honorable Mention: Marreese Speights, Golden State Warriors
Most Improved Player: Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
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Per-Game Averages: 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.4 blocks
There are two seriously deserving candidates for this award, and choosing between them means answering a tough question: How do you measure the extent of a player's improvement?
Anthony Davis has gone from being a promising young star to a galaxy-eating phenomenon, whereas Jimmy Butler has made the leap from defensive specialist to borderline superstar. Davis is clearly the superior talent, but that doesn't necessarily mean his growth has been greater.
If we go by player efficiency rating, Butler has actually improved more this season. His PER jumped from 13.5 to 21.8, an increase of more than eight points. Davis leads the league with a figure of 33.2, but he posted a 26.5 last year. His advanced-metric spike hasn't been as significant.
Numbers aren't everything, though, and it's impossible to discredit what Davis has become.
The Brow might be in for a significantly more prestigious award this season. So Butler is the narrow favorite for this one.
"He's been incredible," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, per Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. "He's a star, and he does it on both ends of the floor. He's just an amazing player."
Thibs isn't easy to impress, but Butler's done it by becoming a go-to threat on offense—one capable of piling up points at the foul line. His 132 free-throw attempts on the season are near the most in the league.
The season before free agency isn't a bad time to morph into a max-level superstar. In addition to mastering defense and offense, Butler appears to also have a pretty good handle on timing.
Runner-Up: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Honorable Mention: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors
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Per-Game Averages: 7.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.1 blocks
It's an oversimplification to pick the best stopper on the stingiest team and proclaim him the league's best defender. But that approach isn't so far off from the way DPOY and even bigger awards, like the MVP, are often decided.
Fortunately, there's support beyond the simple (but pretty darn compelling) case laid out above to suggest Andrew Bogut has been the NBA's best defensive player to this point in the season.
For starters, the league's crankiest Aussie helps the Dubs hold opponents to 91.8 points per 100 possessions when he plays. When Bogut is on the bench, that number jumps to 98.8, per NBA.com. It's not hard to understand why: Bogut makes it extremely difficult to score at the rim.
Of players who've defended at least seven field-goal attempts at the rim per game, Bogut ranks third in field-goal percentage allowed at 41.5 percent. Only Roy Hibbert and Tim Duncan have been tougher to score on at close range, per tracking data provided to NBA.com.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Bogut leads the league in individual defensive rating, ties for third in defensive win shares and ranks first again in defensive box plus-minus.
If you toss aside the numbers and simply watch Bogut, you'll see a player with remarkable instincts, disciplined positioning and a mean streak—all of which are integral to great defense. He closes off the middle, deters drivers and is always in the right place. Basically, he's doing absolutely everything Marc Gasol did to win the award two years ago.
There are a handful of worthy competitors, but through the season's first month, nobody has made a bigger impact on defense than Bogut.
Runner-Up: Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
Honorable Mention: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Rookie of the Year: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
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Per-Game Averages: 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker takes home the November honor by the slimmest of margins over Minnesota Timberwolves wing Andrew Wiggins, and the two look poised to battle it out for the balance of the season.
Parker and Wiggins have nearly identical scoring averages of 11.9 and 11.6 points per game, respectively, with Parker holding narrow edges in effective field-goal percentage and true shooting percentage. Wiggins has been better from long range, but neither he nor Parker has been a high-volume shooter from distance.
Where Wiggins has flashed elite athleticism and defensive potential (he's had numerous highlight-reel blocks), Parker's polish has resulted in better consistency. The Bucks rookie knows how to create shots for himself inside and out. Plus, his feel for the game has resulted in rebound and assist totals that nearly double Wiggins'.
With plenty of minutes ahead in relief of the injured Kevin Martin, Wiggins could settle into an even bigger role, which could help the game slow down for him. If that happens, don't be surprised to see him overtake Parker as the 2014-15 campaign rolls through the new year.
For now, Parker's the pick.
Runner-Up: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Honorable Mention: Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers
Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
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Season Stats: 14-2, No. 1 DRtg (95.1), No. 7 ORtg (106.8), No. 1 NetRtg (11.7)
Steve Kerr took over for a fired head coach, Mark Jackson, for whom the team's best player, Stephen Curry, publicly and repeatedly lobbied ownership to keep. Yet there hasn't been a single disgruntled peep about Kerr from Curry or anyone else since the transition became official.
That's a testament to Curry's professionalism, but it's also suggestive of the capabilities Kerr has already shown.
Golden State has played better than anyone this season, boasting the league's top net rating of plus-11.7 points per 100 possessions on the strength of a No. 1 defense and a No. 7 offense, per NBA.com. Everything that was good about the Warriors last year remains—particularly the effort level and the defensive commitment.
But Kerr has installed a new offense that, despite the team still familiarizing itself with it, has brought more flow, pace and ball movement to a scoring attack that underachieved last season. Where players once stood still, they now cut and curl. Where there were once isolations, Bogut now serves as a fulcrum around whom guards dart for easy setups.
The offense is all new, and it is worlds better than it used to be.
Kerr has coaxed career seasons (so far) out of Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Marreese Speights and Klay Thompson—all of whom are thriving in the equal-opportunity attack their new coach has fashioned.
Stephen Curry has cut out mid-range jumpers and replaced them with layups. His turnovers are down. He leads the league in made triples. He's defending point guards now—and well, I might add.
Kerr has done all this despite getting a whopping seven minutes of court time from David Lee, the Warriors player with more All-Star nods than anyone on the roster.
The only knock against Kerr is that he's leaned on two respected, experienced assistants in Ron Adams and Alvin Gentry to fashion some of his schemes. But it was Kerr who lobbied management to sign his de facto offensive and defensive coordinators, so even if they're doing some heavy lifting, it's because Kerr is secure enough to let them.
Plenty of teams came into this season with high expectations. Kerr's Warriors have exceeded theirs by a ridiculous margin.
Runner-Up: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
Honorable Mention: Dave Joerger, Memphis Grizzlies and Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors (tie)
Executive of the Year: Donnie Nelson, Dallas Mavericks
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The offseason's biggest overhauls haven't produced the dramatic results expected...yet. There's still ample time for the Cleveland Cavaliers to pull together around LeBron James, and there have been positive signs in the past couple of weeks.
Similarly, the Chicago Bulls haven't been the world-beaters everyone expected to this point. Their per-game differential is just 2.8 points, and for the ever-brilliant effort by new addition Pau Gasol, rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic struggle through growing pains.
David Griffin (LeBron, if we're being honest) and Gar Forman may yet see their plans come to fruition.
Donnie Nelson's are already bearing fruit.
It's hard to give anyone but Dirk Nowitzki credit for re-signing on a three-year, $25 million deal, but Nelson, who occupies a dual role as president of basketball operations and general manager, should be acknowledged for making smart improvements to the Dallas Mavericks' roster.
Chandler Parsons was the splashiest offseason get, but the trade that brought Tyson Chandler back from the New York Knicks may prove to be the most important transaction of the summer. Chandler gives Dallas a defensive anchor around which head coach Rick Carlisle can fashion a viable scheme with less-than-ideal parts.
In Jameer Nelson, Al-Farouq Aminu and J.J. Barea, Nelson added three more useful veteran assets to complement the core of Nowitzki and Monta Ellis.
Dallas is 13-5, trails only Golden State in net rating and leads the league in offense, per NBA.com. That's not bad for a remodel on the fly.
Runner-Up: Daryl Morey, Houston Rockets
Honorable Mention: Pat Riley, Miami Heat
MVP: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
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Per-Game Averages: 24.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.1 steals, 3.0 blocks
No Kevin Durant and a markedly less effective LeBron James mean the early MVP race is a very different affair than it's been in recent years.
Even if those two previous award winners were playing up to their usual standards (or playing at all in KD's case), Davis might still have the inside track.
The basic numbers above are startling, especially when you remember Davis is only 21 years old.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only player to ever win the MVP while playing for a a team that didn't reach the postseason, and the New Orleans Pelicans are currently outside the playoff picture in the West. But that's no fault of Davis', and taking the MVP away from him because his teammates and coach aren't good enough to capitalize on his once-in-a-generation talents isn't fair.
"If Davis puts on a show night in and night out, opponents may begin to worry about more than his shot-blocking ability. But for the Pelicans to have a chance in the West this season, it appears they will need more than amazing plays from Davis; they will require him to be exceptional nearly every game. And as he continues to develop, he may be up to the task.
"
The league leader in PER and blocks, Davis is also sixth in rebounds per game and fifth in steals. Despite the Pellies offense routinely putting him in position to shoot contested mid-range jumpers, Davis is still connecting on 55.7 percent of his shots from the field.
If the season ended today, Davis would become the only player in league history to post a PER of at least 31 to go along with at least three blocks and 24 points per game, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
The season doesn't end today, though. Between now and the end of the campaign, Stephen Curry's numbers could hold steady as the Warriors win 60 games. Kyle Lowry's Toronto Raptors could continue crushing the East. If Marc Gasol's Memphis Grizzlies keep rolling, the big Spaniard might be in for some hardware.
For now, though, Davis has been the league's best player. He is a giant guard who blocks jumpers, dominates the lane on both ends, finishes with dunks from impossible angles and is still nowhere close to his potential.
The MVP is his to lose.
Runner-Up: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Honorable Mention: Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
*Stats accurate through games played Nov. 30 and courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com.
