Here is my ballot without any details or explanation
Player of the YearLebron James – While his defense fell off a cliff this year, this was probably his best offensive year ever, or certainly close to it which is no small feat considering James’ resume. There is no player who’s offense is as consistent or as much of a sure thing as James. He had one of the greatest playoff runs of all time. While the Cavs did struggle tremendously, it is clear they were just much worse as a team this year and it wasn’t really because of James – they went from a big 3 to a semi-big 2 (kyle Korver was their 2nd best player of the playoffs, Love had a lot of struggles). Despite the Cavs having little to no other ball handlers, being old as dirt and not having any defense whatsoever (albeit they stepped it up in the post season), James still carried them to the finals in competitive series. James also lead the league in minutes and played the most games in the league if we include playoffs (82 games in the RS I believe, as well as 22 in the PS).
Anthony Davis – After James I feel like there is a decent drop off. No one really screams out dominance the same way James does. Davis is an offensive stud, and he has been a two way player for two seasons now. He’s a deep double double guy, who can block shots, defend in space, shoot, and score on really good efficiency. I think his game translates better than someone like Hardens, and CP3/Curry didn’t play that much or on a super high level – so I feel most comfortable giving Davis my vote. I do think that Davis offense is a tad overrated because he relies a lot on players creating for him, but I’m not going to hate on Karl Malone for getting his shots created for him either.
Steph Curry – Curry, Harden, Paul, Giannis and Durant are very interchangeable to me. I thought Curry was playing at his peak level this season before he went down – which was higher level of play than anyone else in the RS. I think I’ve seen enough of Curry now to see that he can be slowed down – sure he’ll still be good for 25 + 60 TS%, which is not chop liver, but you can certainly chop him down a tier than what he normally is. Fortunately for him, when Curry has to give the ball up, Durant is the guy who gets it, and Durant feast on what ever he wants.
James Harden – James Harden climbs up my rankings annually much slower than other peoples rankings. I’m just never convinced by his post season performances. I do think this PS needs to be analyzed with more nuanced. While his numbers do not look that good he is isolating a lot – so naturally his TS% isn’t going to be the best, and it isn’t THAT much worse than Curry’s (3%ish difference). Harden is a better playmaker than Curry, but is a worse defender. Many people overrated Harden’s defense because they realized that 4s and 5s can’t beat him up in the paint that easily, but Harden’s perimeter defense is pretty much just as useless as it has always been. Despite the difference in games played, I’ll give it to Curry because I think he is just another tier of player
Chris Paul – I think CP3 might still be better than Harden, but not as convinced as I am with Curry. If we got to see more of CP3 in the playoffs it’d be easier to bump him up in the rankings, but from what we seen I think this is a good spot. Yes, Giannis doesn’t make my ballot – simply put, I’d rather have CP3 than Giannis if I am trying to win a game or even a series; even if it means gambling on his health. Giannis’ boxscore stats kill CP3, but CP was on top of nearly every impact stat this season, and was probably the best player in the GSW vs HOU series (the only series that really mattered) before he went down. If HOU and GSW face each other in the 2nd round, Houston are probably champions. Durant just isn’t that impactful to me, great stats because well – the guy can put the ball in the hoop, especially when he is
literally being guarded in 1 vs 1 situations. Before Durant destroyed Cleveland, people were relatively down on him – but because people glorify the FMVP Durant is hoisted on people’s shoulders. Of course Durant was going to go to town on Cleveland, Cleveland’s defense is trash. Durant isn’t as impactful as Curry, CP3 and Harden, and I’d probably take Giannis over him this season also – albeit most of these players are pretty close to each other.
Offensive Player of the YearLebron James – He’s a true offensive juggernaut. He is the best scorer in the NBA. If a game matters, there is no one who is least likely to get theirs than James. Durant can go cold, Curry can get stifled with double teams – James is always a lay up line, and his jumper was on point. When you consider that James is one of the best passers in the NBA, I fail to see how someone can match him offensively. James offense is the only thing that even makes the Cavs good, and he single handily had to beat the other Eastern conference teams.
James Harden – I’m not entirely convinced of Harden’s impact still, but his +/- was quite stellar in both PS and RS. While his TS% was stifled by a lot during the playoffs, his buckets are not easy buckets as he plays almost entirely in isolation, it is also possible that his TS% would have been much better if his team got past GSW (two of his OPOY rivals are on that team) and got to feast on a weak Cavs defense.
Steph Curry – This was super close between him, Harden and Paul. Curry and Paul were both hurt during the PS and RS. Curry’s stats are just prettier and more rounded, both boxscore and PS +/-. CP3 wasn’t that good for the first 2 rounds of the playoffs, but I do think winning bias makes a big difference here – but with CP3 injuring himself we’ll never know for sure. Curry only played 50 games, but he was dynamite – if Leonard can play 55 games and win DPOY, I don’t see why Curry can play 5 less games and get 3rd place for OPOY.
Defensive Player of the YearRudy Gobert – 2nd time in a row he is getting this award from me. He missed a chunk of games, and we saw how big of a difference it made for the Jazz. When Gobert came back to the Jazz, Utah seemed like they were the 3rd best team in the West and possibly the league. While he obviously can’t guard point guards on an island, he does effectively shut down the paint and clean up glass – and layups are the most efficient shot in basketball, not 3 pointers.
Draymond Green – He was very lackluster during the RS, and wouldn’t even place top 3 for RS only. However, he was easily the most dominant defensive player in the playoffs, and on average was GSW’s best player. GSW is a special kind of stacked when there were many games where Klay and Green won the games for them over their two MVPs. Draymond Green’s switch defense, ability to guard the rim, fast hands and man to man defense just makes him a default #2 – I just can’t think of anyone who is as good as him, so his lackluster RS doesn’t weight much to me.
Andre Drummond – He has to get a spot, right? I feel like his reputation as a one way offensive player will absolutely kill him this year.
Drummond lead the league in both DRT and Defensive +/- by a LOT as well as
defensive win shares. On top of that, Drummond averaged 11 rebounds and was 2nd in defensive rebounding % behind DeAndre Jordan – he also played significantly more RS games than Joel Embiid did who is probably his largest competitor (Roberson didn’t even play half the games this season nor was he as impactful). Drummond’s vastly improved positional defense and his already elite rebounding makes him arguably the best defensive player in the league this year.
Rookie of the YearBen Simmons – Simmons anchored a 15 win streak toward the end of the RS without Embiid. During that stretch we really got to see how Simmons can impact a game. He is the best playmaking rookie as well as the best player in the paint – on top of that he is a stellar defender, possibly the best in his class as well. His full year in the NBA has helped a lot for his rookie campaign, and while Donovan was a more effective playoff player, he wasn’t exactly dominant either. Simmons was not that good in the post season, but to his credit he was up against an elite defense in Boston, he did do a good job against Miami though.
Donovan Mitchell – We can certainly go back in a few years and say that Mitchell might have been better than Simmons. I see a lot of shades of D Wade in Mitchell – stellar athlete, good defender, high b-ball IQ. Many games he out played Russell Westbrook in his first playoff series. He has done more for his franchise and more heavy lifting than Tatum, so he gets a benefit of the doubt.
Jason Tatum – Tatum switched from being a go to isolation guy to an elite 3 and D guy flawlessly his rookie season. On top of that we got to see what Tatum was really made out of during the post season when he leads the Celtics in scoring nearly to the NBA finals. Tatum did have plenty of games where he disappeared which is expected as a rookie, and his competitors have certainly had their fair share of duds. He might already be the most impactful rookie, but because of his role it is too difficult to make such an assumption.
Most Improved PlayerVictor Oladipo – Went from borderline starter to franchise player in one summer. I remember the first few games I saw Oladipo play at the start of the season I knew it wasn’t a fluke. He seems more quicker while also being more in control. His defense has a tier better, and his shot is way more consistent.
Jrue Holiday – Jrue was pretty much written off as a bum ever since he got to New Orleans back in 2014. He just hasn’t been a very impactful player, and he was already a very middling player in Philly, who hinkie sold off as soon as Holiday got an all-star accolade in a weak conference. This season though Jrue has become the best lock down defender in the league, while also increasing his scoring efficiency. On top of that Jrue is still a legitimate point guard and can rebound and pass very well. Holiday was a point guard having to play with another point guard who is way more ball dominant and can’t shoot in Rondo, yet had the best season of his career. For a player to make this type of improvement 9 seasons in is quite impressive.
Andre Drummond – Almost everything about Drummond’s game is better. I already touched on how he has become one of the best defenders in the league. Add on to that he has added a passing game as well. He has improved from 1.1 APG to 3.0 APG – he is no Jokic, but he is very patient in the high post and is adapt at hitting the right man or giving good screen/hand-offs. Drummond is no longer a guy who just gobbles up rebounds and dunks, he is a legitimately well rounded basketball player.
6th Man of the YearLou Williams – He was an offensive anchor for a decent Clippers team. It is possible that if the Clippers did not have so many injuries then they would have been a playoff team with Lou as their lead scorer. Unlike other seasons Lou was actually an efficient scorer, and at good volume as well. I still think it is possible I am overlooking Lou’s other flaws, mainly his dreadful defense but given his responsibilities, I think saying Lou Williams was the best bench player in a relatively weak year is not a stretch.
Marcus Smart – He is the best defensive guard in the league behind Roberson, a legit 2nd ball handler who is good for a consistent 5 APG per game, and has a stellar motor. Marcus is a juggernaut defensively and it is sad he hasn’t gotten an all-defensive award yet. Smart has the quickest hands of any guard, while also being big and strong enough to switch on to forwards and stifle them, even in the post he can delay a big long enough to receive help. He did miss a decent amount of games for Boston, but he is basically a starter on one of the best teams in the league. Terry Rozier, who some people might lobby is better wasn’t even a factor for most of the season – so while he did play more games, he was a pretty much a generic depth player (albeit productive) for most of that time.
Eric Gordon – Step down from last season, but still a good scorer in isolation which Houston keep two deadly guards at all time. His shooting was really flunky though and he doesn’t do much else – he has some mental issues in his game for sure. He stepped it up when CP3 went down in the playoffs as well. VanFleet is clutch and good at controlling the pacer, but he just doesn’t do enough yet for me to justify him on this list – he didn’t make much of a difference at all during the PS either.
Coach of the YearBrad Stevens – Probably the best coach in ball right now. Despite Hayward going down, his team greatly overachieved in the RS and probably would have gotten #1 seed in the East if not for many more injuries happening after Hayward’s fall. On top of this the Celtics went way further than anyone would have thought in the playoffs without their two best scorers – they upset a red hot Sixers and nearly beat the defending ECF champs in the Cavs. Stevens has elite defensive schemes, well balanced offense (everyone gets to touch the ball), puts players in roles they truly excel at and is amazing at drawing plays out of time outs. On top of that, all his Celtics teams seem to have a “never say die” attitude so he installs mental toughness onto his teams as well.
Mike D’Antoni – Perhaps his COY run last year will make him a stale pick, but I thought he was way more deserving of this award this year. I think D’Antoni is the only coach who is close to Stevens this year, and he has made himself a certified first ballot HOF in my eyes. While the Rockets were expected to be one of the best teams in the league – it was basically seen as GSW #1, and whoever is in 2nd place…might as well not even try to play GSW. D’Antoni was up 3-2 against GSW despite having a roster that everyone said was inferior, and vast majority of people said would lose to GSW (I would argue GSW in 5 was the most common pick, and more people probably would have picked GSW to sweep the Rockets then for the Rockets to win). It’s not like this was a fluke either as they had the best RS record, best offense, top 6 defense (which showed up in the post season). Many people had question marks about two ball dominant players in CP3 and Harden playing together, and he pretty much maximized their production.
Quin Snyder – One difference between the Jazz and the Thunder in their series is that the Jazz played like an actual team – they had a system, and everyone had an understanding of what to do. The Thunder in contrast was just watching guys trying to take over and win a game by themselves. The Jazz were one of the best teams in the league despite untimely injury problems. Snyder gets great use out of a pass first PG and a playmaking 2 guard, while also designing the best defense in basketball (having Gobert helps).
Executive of the YearBoston Celtics – Ainge landed ‘his guy’ in Gordan Hayward, albeit it didn’t work out due to injury issues. On top of that, he was able to ship off a ticking time bomb in Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving who is younger, arguably better at the time (certainly better this year), and not an expiring contract. He traded down in the draft and took Tatum who so far looks better than both Fultz and Ball – and may end up being the best player in his draft (while also ultimately getting the Kings pick which is barely protected for next year). He let Avery Bradley walk, which was beyond smart as Bradley’s defensive impact was greatly overrated by the media and basketball fandom. If the Celtics were healthy they would have been in the finals, and maybe had an outside chance of winning a title – while still having a young core together outside of Horford and plenty of draft picks. He built a very good team this year, while also making it the team of the future.
Houston Rockets – They signed the best player in free agency in Chris Paul. PJ Tucker and Mbouh greatly boosted the Rockets defense as well. Even though it is questionable if they can retain Paul or how useful a long-time contract with Paul will be, they did make a team that could have very easily won a championship this year if not for a bum hamstring.
Oklahoma City Thunder – I’m probably the only guy here who is going to give Presti a vote, especially when Pritchard didn’t make my ballot. Yes, Carmelo Anthony wasn’t a good signing – but it was a competitive one and he didn’t really give up much (the team doesn’t need Kanter). Trading for Melo was about showing Westbrook that the Thunder were serious about competing, and
Russell Westbrook re-signed with the Thunder when it was certainly not a guarantee that he would. The trade for Paul George…well, again – he technically gave away a player who had a better season in hindsight, but George was still great for OKC, and was an improvement over 2017 Oladipo. George will keep getting called a choker, but he played well and pretty much up to his standards against Utah. It seems like George will be a rental, but we should take into account that if Roberson was healthy – the Thunder likely would have been a different team. I’m not giving a vote to Pritchard because I just think the guy got a little lucky, I don’t think he knew Oladipo would be this good, and he didn’t do that much outside of getting Oladipo this season. It’s hard to punish the Pacers GM for making something out of nothing though, just think Presti made the more suave moves. I don’t understand why some people think Meyers/GSW should get votes, they didn’t do anything really than make some easy signings – sure they negotiated for Durant to take a paycut, but…meh..not a very hard sell I reckon. GSW’s dominance was built on last off season, not this one.
