Monthly NBA Awards: Selecting the January Winner in Every Category
As the All-Star break draws ever closer, the races for the NBA's biggest awards are starting to take shape.
We know that Andrew Wiggins is running away with Rookie of the Year up to this point, while Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler seem to be battling it out for Most Improved Player. The MVP contest is very much a two-man race, with James Harden and Stephen Curry duking it out, while a few other contenders hang around, competing for the No. 3 spot on the ballot.
But what did we learn in January?
For each of the seven major awards—Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year and MVP—we're looking at which players made the most noise this month. We're only interested in what happened during January, so don't take one player earning the featured spot as an indication that he's the season-long favorite in that category.
These races have a long way to go before the end of the regular season rolls around. Plenty will change between now and then.
The January winners, however, are already decided.
Sixth Man of the Year: Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns
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January Per-Game Stats: 16.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.1 blocks
Though Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams are still the season-long favorites for this award, both displayed some inefficient shooting throughout January. The former has knocked down only 35.7 percent of his looks from the field and 31.6 percent of his three-point tries, while the latter is stuck at 39.7 and 28.9, respectively.
Their trials and tribulations have left the door wide open, and Isaiah Thomas has burst through the threshold with a scorching month for the Phoenix Suns, who still remain in the Western Conference's No. 8 spot.
"Typically, when benches come in, you want to find a way to get them good shots," Phoenix head coach Jeff Hornacek told Paul Coro of AZCentral.com. "Those guys (reserves) typically don't create their own shots."
But Thomas has been the exception, as he—along with Gerald Green, Brandan Wright and the rest of the second unit in the desert—has helped spark the bench and caught fire in February.
Those per-game numbers you see above are impressive enough, but they're even better when he's hitting 47.4 percent of his field-goal attempts, draining 45.6 percent of his looks from downtown and converting from the charity stripe at an 88.3 percent clip.
"Scorching" doesn't begin to give Thomas enough credit—especially when considering his outing against the Portland Trail Blazers' suffocating defense on Jan. 21, when he scored a season-high 27 points on just 16 shots.
O.J. Mayo has been great for the Milwaukee Bucks, coming off the bench to improve a lackluster offense while the defense churns out quality performances. Marreese Speights keeps rolling along for the Golden State Warriors, providing bursts of offense and intensity in all other areas, no matter what role he's asked to fill.
But Thomas is the monthly winner here, and it's not even close. He's justifying general manager Ryan McDonough's vision, thriving as the final part of the three-headed point guard monster.
Runner-Up: O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee Bucks
Honorable Mention: Marreese Speights, Golden State Warriors
Most Improved Player: Hassan Whiteside
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January Per-Game Stats: 13.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 3.4 blocks
Where in the world did this come from?
Hassan Whiteside has by no means been the best player in the competition for the improvement award. In terms of sheer January production, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green blew him out of the water.
But this isn't just about the impact he's had in a vacuum. We're concerned with how much he's improved, which means we have to think about where he started.
Heading into January, Thompson was an All-Star candidate and one of the favorites for Most Improved Player. His frontcourt teammate was playing heavy minutes for the best team in the league and already earning recognition for his two-way performance.
But Whiteside had been out of the league for two consecutive seasons, was waived twice by the Memphis Grizzlies before the end of November and had bounced to and from the D-League's Sioux Falls SkyForce. He was basically starting from scratch when the injury-depleted Miami Heat decided to give him a chance, and he averaged just 3.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game heading into January.
Then, he exploded.
His monthlong numbers have been fantastic. And he's only gotten better as he gains traction in the lineup.
The most notable performance was a triple-double in only 24 minutes of action, when he logged 14 points, 13 boards and 12 rejections on Jan. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. But he followed that up with 16 points and 16 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks. And even better, he pulled in 14 rebounds in the first quarter on Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, finishing the opening half with 12 points and 16 boards.
He ended the game with 16 points and 24 boards, a combination of stats that only Kenneth Faried, Andre Drummond and Tyson Chandler have matched this season.
"Whiteside is becoming a household name as an underdog who now looks like a legitimate NBA difference-maker. He may never blossom into a superstar, but he's making a huge impact for a Heat team fighting for a playoff spot," Ben Leibowitz wrote for Sports Illustrated while breaking down some of the key stats associated with Whiteside's surge.
And for a player who was just about out of the league, that's some serious improvement.
Runner-Up: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Honorable Mention: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
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January Per-Game Stats: 10.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks
Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis' skills have kept their teams elite and afloat on the defensive end during January. However, Draymond Green's versatility has helped the Golden State Warriors remain the best point-preventing unit in the Association.
Granted, Basketball-Reference.com shows that the Dubs have declined slightly on defense, allowing 102.9 points per 100 possessions throughout the month heading into their Friday night loss to the Jazz. That's still a great number, but it's a few points higher than the season-long mark of 100.3.
Green's individual defensive rating is a stellar 99 during the same timeframe, which he's earned while doing just about everything on the court. On one possession, he might match up against Derrick Rose. On the next, he'll shift over to one of the biggest assignments on the court and help protect the rim.
"What position will Draymond Green guard?" Ethan Sherwood Strauss asked for ESPN.com back in mid-December. "Damn near all of them. That would make him unique if his teammates weren't so similar."
But he stands above all the rest. He allows the Dubs to switch on virtually every possession, simply because he's capable of shutting down—or at least controlling—any player he's matched up against. LeBron James' ability to guard 1 through 5 has been heralded in the past, but he has now passed that versatility torch into the Michigan State product's hands.
"Green's defensive stats reveal him to be one of the single most valuable players in the NBA. And as it gradually becomes accepted that an elite defender is worth just as much as an elite scorer, we could be heading into an era where player salaries will reflect that equality," Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes opined while calling the former Spartan the Association's next defensive superstar.
When Green and "max contract" are showing up in the same sentence this summer without any negating words, don't be surprised. And feel free to look back at January—and, to a slightly lesser extent, the earlier months of the season—as the primary impetus.
Runner-Up: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Honorable Mention: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Rookie of the Year: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
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January Per-Game Stats: 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks
Here comes Andrew Wiggins.
Everything has clicked for the Minnesota Timberwolves' young wing. Tasked with carrying more offensive possessions, he's taken on the challenge, asserting himself and becoming much more aggressive than we had seen him look either early in his rookie season or during his freshman campaign with the Kansas Jayhawks.
Wiggins still settles for mid-range jumpers too often, but his work posting up, shooting the ball from the perimeter and attacking the basket has lifted him to new heights. During January, he's taken 4.9 free throws per game and posted a true shooting percentage of 53.9. While there's still plenty of room for improvement, it's worth noting that Wiggins' pre-January true shooting percentage was only 47.8.
Some rookies hit the dreaded wall at this point in the season, but the 2014 class has been a bit strange in that regard. Elfrid Payton is taking on more responsibility with the Orlando Magic, and Nerlens Noel is contributing on both ends for a Philadelphia 76ers squad that has suddenly been—gasp—winning games.
And that's saying nothing of other first-year players who barely miss the cut. Jusuf Nurkic, for example, has continued to be a rebounding stud in the Mile High City while replacing Timofey Mozgov in the Denver Nuggets' starting five.
But no one can touch what Wiggins has done in such a heavily featured role.
Not only did the Kansas product have the rookie class' lone 30-point outing when he dropped 31 against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 17, but when it comes to 20-point games, he's single-handedly responsible for 15 of the 34. Eight of those have come in January.
Throw in some improving defense, and you can see why he's the runaway winner of this category.
Runner-Up: Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Honorable Mention: Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers
Coach of the Year: Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta Hawks
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January Record: 16-0
After surviving a tough Friday night battle with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Atlanta Hawks extended their winning streak to a franchise-best 18 games, 16 of which have come in January. Yes, the red-hot Hawks are the only team that still hasn't lost since the calendar flipped to 2015, and that victory over Portland was literally the first time Atlanta hasn't put together a double-digit advantage at some point in the 48 minutes.
Sorry to Steve Kerr, who continues to do some remarkable work with the Golden State Warriors. Apologies to Jason Kidd, whose coaching has helped the Milwaukee Bucks morph into a highly underrated defensive juggernaut.
But you can't mess with perfection.
Everyone on the Atlanta roster has bought into the ball-sharing system on the offensive end, selflessly turning down good looks for great ones. Even more impressively, the team has overcome its lack of a rim-protecting stud by packing the paint and using long-armed wing defenders to terrorize the passing lanes during kick-out opportunities.
Heading into the six-point victory over Rip City, the Hawks had earned January offensive and defensive ratings of 115.2 and 101.4, respectively. Were they to maintain those numbers throughout the entire season, they would rank first in offensive efficiency—with room to spare—and second in defensive efficiency, trailing only the Warriors.
Enough said.
Runner-Up: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
Honorable Mention: Jason Kidd, Milwaukee Bucks
Executive of the Year: David Griffin, Cleveland Cavaliers
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January Record: 10-6
January solidified strong cases for Danny Ferry (Atlanta Hawks) and Bob Myers (Golden State Warriors), as their teams have been on incredible tears throughout the month. But neither general manager made moves of significance during the 31-day period, and that prevents them from earning the top spot.
No one else but David Griffin deserves that type of credit, as he made a couple of beneficial moves that have helped salvage a disappointing season for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First, he landed Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks, helping shore up the perimeter defense while adding some shooting. He gave up only Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk, Dion Waiters and a second-round pick for that haul, even adding a heavily protected first-rounder from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the process.
But Griffin wasn't done wheeling and dealing. The Cavaliers knew they needed more rim protection, so they traded two protected first-round selections to the Denver Nuggets for Timofey Mozgov.
All three new acquisitions have provided positive impacts thus far, and the Cavaliers have now won nine games in a row after Friday night's victory over the Sacramento Kings. It's the team's longest stretch of undefeated play since 2009-10, back when a certain someone was in his first stint with the team.
Of course, LeBron James' return from two weeks off has propelled Cleveland to new heights, and that didn't have anything to do with Griffin's January moves. Except that the GM was instrumental in luring James back to Northeast Ohio during the offseason, so we might as well still give him some credit for his work in the hottest month of the year.
Runner-Up: Danny Ferry, Atlanta Hawks
Honorable Mention: Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors
MVP: James Harden, Houston Rockets
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January Per-Game Stats: 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.4 blocks
LeBron James had a fantastic month once he returned from his recovery-fueled absence. He looked reinvigorated and fully engaged on both ends of the court, sparking his Cleveland Cavaliers to a nine-game win streak. We can't forget about other MVP candidates like Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis, either.
But this was a two-horse race in January.
Klay Thompson, buoyed by his record-setting 37-point outburst in the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 23, was fantastic.
He set the tone for the Western Conference-best Golden State Warriors, playing great defense while catching fire on offense. Even after a tough game on Friday against the Utah Jazz, he was averaging 26.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field, 50.5 percent from beyond the arc and 85.2 percent at the charity stripe.
James Harden, however, was even better.
While the bearded shooting guard is playing improved defense, he still can't touch Thompson's work on that end of the floor. He didn't knock down more than half his shots, either.
But the Houston Rockets 2-guard produced a more well-rounded line and was responsible for quite a bit more offense, thanks to those extra 4.3 assists per contest. And it's not like he was inefficient, as he was slashing 46.8/42.3/87.7 after his own rough shooting performance against the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Thanks to his remarkable penchant for drawing contact, he posted a 63.3 true shooting percentage while scoring 25.8 points per game. Thompson's 67.8 true shooting percentage is superior, but not by all that much, even with his gaudy three-point shooting.
The true difference in this race, though?
Harden carried the Rockets while Dwight Howard missed time, and he often served as a one-man team while leading his squad to victory. We've already mentioned Curry as another MVP candidate for January, while Draymond Green is the month's Defensive Player of the Year.
Thompson just had a lot more help, and that's why not even his historic month can get him to the pole position.
Runner-Up: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Honorable Mention: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com and are current heading into Jan. 31's games.
