Midseason NBA Awards

With the All-Star Game just around the corner, it seems fit to present some midseason awards. When looking at this list, we are only taking into consideration a player’s body of work up to this point in the season, not a projection for their numbers at the end of the year. As is often the case for individual awards, team record is heavily weighted into the equation.

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

When you’re discussing MVP candidates, LeBron James is in a category of his own. LeBron is arguably the greatest professional athlete of all time. And no, we’re not talking basketball, we’re talking sports period. At 6'8" and 250 lbs, No. 23 is a phenom whose natural ability and athleticism are almost supernatural, but still come second to his leadership on the court.

His 29.8 ppg leads the league. The Cavs (42-11) have the best record in the NBA and even after Mo Williams went down last month, they just keep on rolling behind their perennial All-Star forward. LeBron’s 8.2 assists, 50.7 percent shooting and 36.2 percent from downtown are all career highs. The 25-year-old isn’t even in his prime yet. It's safe to say LeBron has the MVP award in the bag unless Cleveland has an epic slide down the standings. 

Notables: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant

Kobe is a notch behind LeBron when discussions of the best players in the NBA begin, but the MVP is about more than talent. As good as he is, Kobe’s impact for the Lakers just doesn’t equal that of LeBron’s. If you took James off the Cavs they’d be a fringe playoff team in the East at best. The Lakers wouldn’t contend without Bryant, but they wouldn’t disappear either. They have a far superior supporting cast, but are still one and half games behind the Cavs in the standings. A lot of times, LeBron carries that team on his back; Kobe isn’t asked to do that.

Durant has shown great progress in his three years in the league, but let's see the Thunder do something first. At just 21 years old, Durant will have to wait his turn.

Defensive Player of the Year : Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

At 6'11" and 265 lbs, Howard is a brick wall surrounding the Magic rim. His 2.6 blocks (3.1 since Nov.) and 13.3 rebounds a game lead the league, but it's about more than just the numbers. When he’s in the game, opposing teams often avoid the paint entirely as Howard is capable of altering almost every shot near the rim if he can’t block it. Orlando is allowing their opponents to score just 96.3 points a game on .438 shooting, tied for fifth and second in the league respectively. Howard’s fingerprints are all over that. 

Notables: Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith

If not for Howard, these guys would have much stronger consideration for the award, but unfortunately for Wallace and Smith, Superman is young and only getting better. Averaging 2.1 blocks a game, Smith is third in the league and his 1.5 steals are tied for 17th. The Hawks' athletic forward is a major reason for the team's success the last couple seasons.

Wallace is a force to be reckoned with in Charlotte. His 11 rebounds per game is good for seventh in the league and a career high for the nine year veteran. What’s so impressive though, is that Wallace averages those numbers at 6'7". Ranked in the top 25 in both steals and blocks, the Bobcats' forward has helped his team lead the league in opponent PPG at 93.4

Rookie of the Year : Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings 

This kid screams superstar. Evans’ 20.8 ppg, 4.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals are good for first, second, fifth, and second respectively among NBA rookies. In his case, the numbers just don't lie as Evans is the hands-down favorite to win the award. The 6'6" point guard is a lightning bolt out of the Kings’ backcourt. He’s aggressive, quick, and has a knack for getting to the rim. His numbers have dipped off slightly in Jan., but at this point in the season, there’s no one who’s legitimately standing between him and ROY honors. 

Notables: Brandon Jennings

Jennings was the early favorite after flying out of the gates to start the year. His Nov. numbers were impressive by any standards, let alone rookies. Averaging 22.1 points through the first month of the seasons, Jennings' early success was highlighted by a 55 point performance against the Golden State Warriors. That game turned more than a few heads. Unfortunately, Jennings’ numbers have dropped off significantly for Dec: 16.7 PPG and Jan. 14 PPG.

Sixth Man Award: Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks

Crawford has gone from a good scorer on a bad team to the best bench boost in the league this year for the Atlanta Hawks. His 17.4 ppg are the best for any sixth man in the NBA, but more than that, Crawford is finally on the winning path after nine seasons at the bottom of the standings for Chicago, New York, and Golden State.

He’s making the most of it too, providing great energy off the bench for Atlanta as they fight for one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are 33-18 midway through the year and Crawford is a big part of that success. A guy who’s career numbers have been dismissed as inflated stats for losing teams, Crawford is showing everyone he’s the real deal.