The NBA season ended last night in not-so surprising fashion as the Golden State Warriors got revenge for last year's blown 3-1 series lead by closing out the Cleveland Cavaliers with relative ease in 5 games to clinch their 2nd title of the Steve Kerr-era. Now that the clash of the NBA superteams has concluded, it's time to acknowledge the people that made professional basketball great this season. Here are my picks for all of the NBA's highest individual honors.
MVP: Russell Westbrook, point guard (Thunder)
As great as James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Isaiah Thomas were this season, this was still pretty much a no-brainer for me. Not only did Russell Westbrook carry a team that is primarily made up of role players that can't score on a consistent basis to a playoff berth in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, he became the 1st player in over 50 years to average a triple double for the season (31.9 PPG, 10.4 APG, 10.6 RPG). A legitimately mind-boggling season from one of the NBA's finest players.
Honorable Mentions: James Harden, point/shooting guard (Rockets), Kawhi Leonard, small forward (Spurs), Isaiah Thomas, point guard (Celtics)
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green, power forward (Warriors)
The league's most hated man silenced his critics once again with his finest defensive to-date in 2016-17. The 27-year old serial irritant tied for the league lead in steals (2.0 per game), finished 11th in blocks (1.7 per game) and most importantly, re-enforced his status as a virtuoso defender by locking down the best players at all 5 positions throughout the season. He might lack the scoring prowess of his fellow All-Star teammates, but Green's versatility and consistency as a defender makes him one of the most important players on the Warriors loaded roster.
Honorable Mentions: Rudy Gobert, center (Jazz), Kawhi Leonard, small forward (Spurs), Anthony Davis, power forward/center (Pelicans)
Coach of the Year: Mike D'Antoni (Rockets)
After a pair of painful tenures with the Knicks and Lakers, the 2016-17 Rockets reminded the NBA community how effective Mike D'Antoni's frantic offensive system can be with the right group of players. D'Antoni's run-and-jack up 3's philosophy proved to be a perfect fit for this roster's "score a shitload of points, play defense when you can" mentality as he able to get the Rockets back into the top 3 of the Western Conference with a 55-27 season following a disappointing 2015-16 campaign that was derailed by a whole lot of internal dysfunction.
Honorable Mentions: Brad Stevens (Celtics), Quin Snyder (Jazz), Erik Spoelstra (Heat)
Most Improved Player: Nikola Jokic, power forward/center (Nuggets)
During his rookie year in 2015-16, Nikola Jokic surprised the hell out of a lot of people with his relatively seamless transition from Europe to the NBA and ability as a 2-way player. In 2016-17, the Serbian-born big man that was considered a low-upside developmental player when the Nuggets selected him in the 2nd round back in 2014 proved why he deserves to be considered one of the league's most exciting young stars. Jokic's shooting touch (57.8% FG, 6th in the NBA), physical presence on the glass (9.8 RPG, 13th in the NBA) and spectacular passing (4.9 APG, tied for 3rd among big men in the NBA) was the main reason the Nuggets- who have the 5th youngest roster in the league- greatly overachieved (40-42, 9th in the Western Conference) in 2016-17.
Honorable Mentions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, small forward (Bucks), Rudy Gobert, center (Jazz), Dion Waiters, shooting guard (Heat)
Rookie of the Year: Joel Embiid, center (76ers)
Screw the small sample size, there wasn't another rookie that came anywhere close to sniffing Joel Embiid's level of production this season. The former number 3 overall pick took the league by storm in the 31 games he played this season, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game on A STRICT MINUTES RESTRICTION. If Embiid can finally escape the injury bug that has plagued him since he got drafted in 2014, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll blossom into an elite, do-it-all stretch 4/5.
Honorable Mentions: Dario Saric, power forward (76ers), Malcolm Brogdon, point guard (Bucks), Jaylen Brown, small forward (Celtics)
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon, shooting guard (Rockets)
Eric Gordon was one of the handful of free agents the Rockets brought in for the sole purpose of giving Mike D'Antoni more perimeter shooters to play with and holy hell, did it end paying dividends. With the freedom to pull the trigger from deep whenever he had an open look. Gordon put together his most productive season since 2012-13, averaging 16.1 points per game and gave the Rockets the consistent spark-scorer off the bench they'd lacked since they dealt Courtney Lee to the Celtics in 2012.
Honorable Mentions: Lou Williams, point guard (Lakers/Rockets), Andre Igoudala, small forward (Warriors), Tim Hardaway Jr., shooting guard (Hawks)
All-NBA Teams:
1st team:
Guard: Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)
Forward: LeBron James (Cavaliers)
Center: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
2nd team:
Guard: Isaiah Thomas (Celtics)
Guard: Demar DeRozan (Raptors)
Forward: Kevin Durant (Warriors)
Forward: Giannis Antetokumpo (Bucks)
Center: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
3rd team:
Guard: John Wall (Wizards)
Guard: Stephen Curry (Warriors)
Forward: Gordan Hayward (Jazz)
Forward: Jimmy Butler (Bulls)
Center: DeAndre Jordan (Clippers)
All-Defensive Teams:
1st team:
Guard: John Wall (Wizards)
Guard: Avery Bradley (Celtics)
Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)
Forward: Draymond Green (Warriors)
Center: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
2nd team:
Guard: Chris Paul (Clippers)
Guard: Klay Thompson (Warriors)
Forward: Giannis Antetokumpo (Bucks)
Forward: Kevin Durant (Warriors)
Center: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
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