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The voting for the 2019-20 NBA Awards is well underway and will conclude by 28th July 2020. Broadcasters and journalists from across the globe will cast their picks for the individual honors as well as the All-NBA, All-Defensive, and All-Rookie teams.
In a welcome move, the association announced that only matches till 11 March 2020, i.e., the games before the NBA suspension will be considered for the awards. It's only fair because not all the 30 teams have been invited to Orlando.
Having said that, who's likely to take home the awards? While there's no exact date as to when the winners will be revealed, the announcement is expected to happen during the NBA Playoffs. In the meantime, we can try to predict the victors of the six individual awards so here goes.
NBA Most Valuable Player - Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)
Runner-up: LeBron James (LAL)
Last year, Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game and that was enough for the NBA to crown him the MVP. This time around, he's averaging around 2 more points and rebounds per game.
The Milwaukee Bucks had the best record in the league last season, and they've won the highest number of games this campaign as well. So I don't see any reason why he shouldn't take home the award this time as well.
LeBron James is having the best year of his career as a playmaker and leads the league in dimes with 10.6 assists a game. His 25.7 points on nearly 50% shooting isn't too shabby either. But from a purely objective eye, it doesn't compare to what Giannis has done this term.
Yes, the West is comparably tougher, but the fact that five teams are in with a realistic chance of winning the East implies that the gulf between the two conferences isn't too deep. And with that out of the picture, Giannis is the clear favorite.
Also read: 5 Times LeBron James trolled his haters
NBA Rookie of the Year - Ja Morant (MEM)
Runner-up: Zion Williamson (NOLA)
The fact that performances only till 11th March will be considered for the awards comes as a big boost for Ja Morant. Zion Williamson may have broken a few records as a teenager and is averaging close to 24 points a game.
At the same time though, he's only played 19 games. And that simply isn't enough for him to be considered over Morant who has led the Memphis Grizzlies to the eighth seed in the West.
Ja Morant's 17.6 points per game aren't generational by any means. However, the fact that the Grizzlies were considered a straight-up lottery team at the beginning of the season suggests that his impact on the franchise has been beyond the numbers.
NBA Defensive Player of the Year - Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)
Runner-up: Anthony Davis (LAL)
There are mainly two players in consideration for this award in my opinion, namely Giannis Antetokoumpo and Anthony Davis. Going by the traditional stats, AD leads Giannis considerably. Davis is third in the league in total blocks this season and also averages 1.5 steals a game.
But if you look beyond the traditional numbers, that's where Giannis absolutely overpowers the LA Lakers' star big. Antetokounmpo leads the NBA in defensive win shares per game as well as totals. His defensive rating of 96.5 is way better than Davis' 105.6.
Also, the difference in the numbers of blocks can be explained by the fact that Brook Lopez is Milwaukee's designated rim protector. Additionally, Giannis is also much better at holding fort in case of defensive switches and he sweeps up the Defensive Player of the Year Award for me.
NBA Coach of the Year - Nick Nurse (TOR)
Runner-up: Billy Donovan (OKC)
Imagine losing the NBA Finals MVP to free agency and then going on to record a higher winning percentage next season. That's exactly what the Toronto Raptors have done this season.
Pascal Siakam has stepped up massively for the 2019 NBA Champions following the departure of Kawhi Leonard but a lot of their magic is down to just how well-coached they are.
Nick Nurse has built a system that has allowed Toronto to deal with Marc Gasol's worst year in terms of numbers with Serge Ibaka averaging a career-high 16 points per game. The Raptors' hard-nosed style of play has more or less ensured a second seed finish yet again in the East and it was Coach Nurse who imbibed that culture in the team.
As for the runner-up spot, the Oklahoma City Thunder currently occupy the fifth seed in the West when they were given a 0.2% chance of making the NBA Playoffs by ESPN. Coach Billy Donovan was at the heart of this miracle.
NBA Most Improved Player - Bam Adebayo (MIA)
Runner-up: Brandon Ingram (NOLA)
Another surprise story of the season, the Miami Heat have punched well above their weight with just a solitary superstar in Jimmy Butler. But Erik Spoelstra's side has reaped the benefits of several role players stepping up, especially big man Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo has almost doubled his numbers as compared to last season, averaging 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He deservingly made his NBA All-Star Game debut in February 2020.
In comparison, New Orleans' Brandon Ingram has had a breakout season as well. Ingram is averaging 24.3 points per game on nearly 47% shooting, up by six points as compared to the 18.3 that he averaged last season. But the fact that Adebayo is on a playoff-bound team with hopes of a deep run edges things in his favor.
NBA Sixth Man of the Year - Dennis Schroder (OKC)
Runner-up: Montrezl Harrell (LAC)
Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell were in the Sixth Man picture last season and that will be the case this time as well. But between the two, Trezz just edges it out.
Williams hasn't added anything new to the LA Clippers with a bit of the scoring load taken off him following the arrival of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Harrell, on the other hand, has increased his output despite averaging barely a minute more this season and has improved significantly on defense.
However, OKC's Dennis Schroder takes the cake overall despite both the German and Harrell averaging around 19 points per game. There is no three-guard line-up for the Thunder without the pesky defense of Schroder. He's also a much better shooter and his contribution to this Thunder unit lies in the fact that he's tasked with taking a lot of shots for OKC in the clutch, 20 more than Harrell to be exact.
Also read: Predicting 2019-20 All-NBA First Team
Guess the Lakers players!
