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Utah Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen sparked a social media storm after he revealed his ballot for Rookie of the Year. Larsen voted Jazz big man Walker Kessler as his Rookie of the Year over Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic.
In his piece for The Salt Lake Tribune, Larsen disclosed his votes for the NBA regular season awards. He voted Joel Embiid for MVP, Jaren Jackson Jr. for Defensive Player of the Year, Mike Brown Coach of the Year and Malcolm Brogdon as Sixth Man of the Year.
Fans raised eyebrows over Larsen's picks for Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year. Larsen voted Kessler as the top rookie, while he picked Lauri Markkanen over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Some fans may understand the pick of Lauri Markkanen over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Andy Larsen even had the OKC Thunder star fifth in his MVP ballot. However, Walker Kessler getting the nod over Paolo Banchero is something else.
Larsen even noted in his article that he would get a lot of hate for not voting for Banchero as his ROY. He explained that Banchero's stats are empty stats, while Kessler had an impact on winning based on his advanced stats.
Who is Andy Larsen?
Andy Larsen has been a beat writer for the Utah Jazz since 2013. Larsen started his career with the Salt City Hoops before working at KSL.com covering the Jazz and other Utah sports. He moved to The Salt Lake Tribune in 2018 and has been there ever since.
Larsen has a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Westminister College. He also went to Waterford School in Sandy, Utah. He was born and raised in the state and has been a lifelong Jazz fan. He loves to play soccer, tennis and chess in his free time.
Apart from his work as a sports writer, Larsen was also a scientific data interpreter for The Salt Lake Tribune during the COVID-19 pandemic. His degree in mathematics helped him understand the data and numbers about the disease, making news easier for people to read.
"My primary focus has been how COVID-19 is affecting our state in comparison with other states," Larsen told the Waterford School in a 2020 interview. "I analyze data from across the country to tell the story behind the numbers. Sometimes conditions can vary from state to state and even from county to county."
Fans react to Andy Larsen's ROY vote
Fans were unhappy with Andy Larsen's decision to vote for Walker Kessler as Rookie of the Year over Paolo Banchero.
Some think it ruined Banchero's chances of being a unanimous winner. However, Kessler's advanced stats will likely sway votes for analytics-driven voters.
Here are some of the reactions to Larsen's vote:
Guess the Lakers players!
