TrueFan Picking 2019 NBA Season Award Winners

TRUEFAN PICKING 2018-19 NBA REGULAR SEASON AWARD SELECTIONS

Written By Kyle Crabbe

Twitter:@KthetruestKnick

-Rookie Of The Year

Winner:

Dallas Mavericks Guard Luka Doncic

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place : Atlanta Hawks PG Trae Young

3^rd Place: Phoenix Suns C DeAndre Ayton

TrueFan Quick Take:

In the Rookie of the Year race international Star Luka Doncic dominated this season. Dallas Mavericks Rookie Guard Luka Doncic put up great numbers and proved to be the best of the 2019 Rookie Class. The player he was traded for on draft day, Atlanta Hawks Rookie Point Guard Trae Young became Doncic's biggest competition for the Rookie of the Year award. Young had a strong second half to compliment a good rookie season campaign. 1^st Overall Pick of the Phoenix Suns DeAndre Ayton also played very well and earned ROY consideration but didn't have the same impact and domination that Luka Doncic and Trae Young were able to showcase throughout the 2018-19 Regular Season.

-Sixth Man Of The Year

Winner:

Los Angeles Guard Lou Williams 

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place : Toronto Raptors Guard Fred VanVleet

3^rd Place : Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Dennis Schroder

TrueFan Quick Take:

As one of the annul favorites for the 6^th Man of the Year, Clippers Guard Lou Williams showed again this season he is simply the current best bench player in the NBA. The two-time 6^th Man of the Year Winner(2015,2018), Williams is poised to win the award again after putting up yet another incredible season of the bench. The Los Angeles Clippers surprised many in the league by not only playing competitive basketball in the tough Western Conference but were able to earn a playoff seed in the West this season. One of the biggest factors for the Clippers success this season was the play of Lou Williams. Lou played great basketball where he's proved to be is one of the League's most versatile and effective offensive weapons and was very consistent with his production every night for the Clippers.

Not to be left completely out the conversation the Toronto Raptors have sported for the last few seasons one of the best benches in the entire NBA. One of the leaders of that bench, affectionately nicknamed the “ Bench Mob” is Point Guard Fred VanVleet. VanVleet had another great season of the bench for the Raptors and had a huge hand in the Raptors earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference this season.

OKC's Point Guard Dennis Schroder also had a great season in his first season coming off the bench for the Thunder. Playing back-up to the great Russell Westbrook allowed Schroder to come in the game and flash his immense speed, quickness and offensive talents. Schroder gave the Thunder a consistent boost whenever he entered the game for them throughout the 2018-19 campaign.

-Most Improved Player

Winner:

Brooklyn Nets PG D'Angelo Russell

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place Toronto Raptors Forward Pascal Siakam

3^rd Place Los Angeles Clippers Forward Montrezl Harrell

4^th Place Indiana Pacers Center Myles Turner

TrueFan Quick Take:

Brooklyn Nets Guard D'Angelo Russell established himself this season as a bonafide NBA star player with a great season and a All-Star Selection. While struggling to find consistency in his first few seasons with the LA Lakers and then last season with health issues in Brooklyn, the 2018-19 Season showed the basketball world what a great talent many believed Russell was coming out of Ohio State. Russell deserves this award for the premium season he put together while helping the Brooklyn Nets make the post-season.

Another Player that deserves strong consideration for the Most Improved Award is Toronto Raptors Forward Pascal Siakam. Siakam to many basketball fans has came out of no where to put together an excellent noteworthy season with the Raptors. Siakam has been on the rise for quite some time and this year only continues to show his immense potential.

-Defensive Player Of The Year

Winner:

Utah Jazz C Rudy Gobert

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo

3^rd Place Oklahoma City Thunder SG/SF Paul George

TrueFan Quick Take:

This year's Defensive Player of the Year can go different ways based on how the individual looks at defense in basketball. Rudy Gobert is the reigning Defensive Player of the year and his performance this season could net him the award for consecutive seasons. Gobert has been a force all year and was a big reason why the Utah Jazz were able to make the playoffs in the highly competitive Western Conference.

However, statistically speaking few have posted comparable Defensive-metrics numbers to this year's possible MVP Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetkoupko. Giannis finished the season Top 10 in Blocks, 2^nd in Defensive Rating, 3^rd in Defensive Win Shares, and Tied for 1^st with Rudy Gobert for Defensive Box Plus/Minus. The debate between the two doesn't end there.

Giannis Milwaukee Bucks and Gobert's Utah Jazz also toggle between ranking as the League Best Team Defensive Rating. When adjusted for strength of schedule the Utah Jazz are the League's Top Defensive Rating Team but when left unadjusted for strength of Schedule the Milwaukee Bucks post the League's Top Defensive Rating.

Oklahoma City Thunder Paul George will also get some consideration for this award as he had a fabulous two-way season. George lead the league in total steals, steals per game, and was 5^th in the League in Defensive Win Shares.

-Coach Of The Year

Winner:

Toronto Raptors Coach Nick Nurse

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place Milwaukee Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer

3^rd Place Los Angeles Clippers Coach Doc Rivers

TrueFan Quick Take:

In the Coach of the Year race I have Toronto Raptors first year Head Coach Nick Nurse winning the award by a small margin over Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. Nurse took over from last year's Coach of the Year Winner in Dwayne Casey to win 58 games to Casey's 59 Win Season a year ago. Nurse was able to adjust the Toronto Raptors' Team Overall Culture as they replaced tenured Star DeMar DeRozan for former Spurs Superstar Kwahi Leonard. Under Nurse the Raptors finished the season Top 5 in Offensive Rating and Top 5 in Defensive Rating.

In any other season the most likely winner of this award would be Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. Budenholzer in his first year at the helm for the Bucks lead them to the league's top record while statistically ranking 1^st Overall in Team Defense and 4^th in Offensive Rating. Budenholzer also must be credited with putting the system in place to allow Bucks Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to flourish and produce his best season to his young career and possibly this season's Most Valuable Player.

The former 2000 NBA Coach of the Year Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Doc Rivers also deserves some recognition for the excellent job he did in leading the Clippers this season to a post-season appearance. Rivers led a 6 win improvement as well as coaching the Clippers up to a Top 10 Offense this season.

-Executive Of The Year

Winner:

Toronto Raptors President of Basketball Ops Masai Ujiri

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place Milwaukee Bucks General Manger Jon Horst

3^rd Place Los Angeles Clippers General Manager Lawrence Frank

TrueFan Quick Take:

In a off-season that was dominated by the Kwahi Leonard Trade conversation, Toronto Raptors Masai Ujiri was the NBA Executive that was able to swing the deal that eventually landed the 2x Defensive Player of the Year. Ujiri made a handful of bold moves in the early summer of 2018-19 NBA Season that proved to be great decisions. Ujiri made the first bold move of firing the 2018 Coach of the Year in Dwayne Casey to replace him with Coach Nick Nurse. Then the bolder move from Ujiri was trading Franchise Cornerstone and long-time Face of Franchise in DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for the aforementioned Kwahi Leonard. However, while in-season Ujiri made one of the better trade-deadline deals this season to land 3x All-Star and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year from Memphis in Center Marc Gasol.

The type of season that Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors front office had this previous season gives them supreme credit in team building and franchise development. Their is no debate of Ujiri winning this award but the work done by Jon Horst in Milwaukee this season was also notable.

Horst in the off-season made a great find in signing free agent Pat Connaughton as well as bringing in arguable the best Coach on the market in Head Coach Mike Budenholzen. Horst topped that off by making two great in-season acquisitions; one was landing Point Guard George Hill from Cleveland and also acquiring Forward Nikola Mirotic from the New Orleans Pelicans.

-Most Valuable Player MVP

Winner:

Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo

Runner Ups:

2^nd Place Houston Rockets SG James Harden

3^rd Place Denver Nuggets C Nikola Jokic

TrueFan Quick Take:

The most sought after award every season creates a great wave of debates every NBA year. This year has produced two main candidates that have many basketball fans arguing back and forth to whom truly deserves the Most Valuable Award this basketball season.

But in reality to me there is far from any debate. Based on the overall metrics, their was no player this year that was more impactful on their team having “great” success then that of the Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

I'll start by debunking the argument that by numbers alone Houston Rockets Shooting Guard James Harden is the MVP. Harden did lead the Rockets to 53 wins and top 4 Western Conference Playoff Seed. Harden did lead the league in scoring averaging 36.1 Points per game, but did that by also leading the league in Field Goal Attempts and in turnovers. Harden did lead the league in Win Shares but also lead the league with a sky-high usage rate. I believe Harden had a phenomenal year and a definite and deserving All-NBA 1^st Team Season. However when we consider the offensive system that Harden plays in under the great offensive guru in Houston Rockets Head Coach Mike D'Antoni, the numbers become less impressive comparably to say Giannis Antekoumpo who has excellent statistics on not only the offensive side of the ball but has elite numbers on the defensive side of the basketball also.

To that point Giannis has truly had the best overall season for any individual player in the 2018-19 NBA Season. Giannis finished the season ranking 1^st in Player Efficiency Rating, 3^rd in Points Per Game, 6^th in Rebounds Per Game, 10^th in Blocks Per Game, 7^th in True Shooting Percentage, 2^nd in Defensive Rating, 3^rd in Offensive Win Shares, 3^rd in Defensive Win Shares, 1^st in Win Shares Per 48 Minutes, and 2^nd in Value Over Replacement Player. Not to mention his team finished the season with the best Record in the entire NBA. Even in the category that Harden is clearly above Giannis which is on Offense, Giannis ranked above Harden this season in Offensive Rating with Giannis ranking 17^th in the NBA with a 121.1 Rating to Harden's rating whom fell out of the Top 20 with that of 118.

Thanks for Viewing