Top Player: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Denying Jokic's MVP bid for 2022-23 on the grounds of him winning it the past 2 years is asinine. What the Joker is doing every night to help the Nuggets win games is incredible (he's currently averaging a triple double and on pace to set new career bests in assists, shooting percentage and 3-point percentage) and considering how great he's been in recent years, I think people are starting to take his excellence for granted in a way that we haven't seen in the league since LeBron James in the mid 2010's after he left the Heat to go back to the Cavs.
Honorable Mentions: Luka Doncic (Mavericks), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Joel Embiid (76ers)
Top Defensive Player: Brook Lopez (Bucks)
It really wasn't evident how much the Bucks missed having Lopez-who missed the majority of the regular season last year with a back injury-in their starting lineup until the start of this year. The 34-year old has seamlessly slid back into the role of defensive anchor for Milwaukee and his combination of fierce rim protection and ability to slide out to the perimeter and contest 3's has been a big part of why they've climbed up to 3rd in defensive rating after finishing 14th in 2021-22.
Honorable Mentions: OG Anouby (Raptors), Nicolas Claxton (Nets), Dillion Brooks (Grizzlies)
Most Improved: Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
Back in September, Markkanen was viewed as simply a pot sweetener for the Jazz in the Donovon Mitchell trade. 5 months later, the Finnish forward made the 1st career All-Star game appearance. Getting more opportunity to shoot after falling out of favor in Chicago after a solid start to his career and being a complementary piece to Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in Cleveland has done wonders for Markkanen's ability to impact the game-as he's averaging nearly 25 points per game, shooting 41% from deep and hitting over 51% of his shots from the field.
Honorable Mentions: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Nicolas Claxton (Nets)
Top Rookie: Paolo Banchero (Magic)
While the Magic are still very far away from contending, adding Banchero has unquestionably bolstered the long-term outlook for their young corps. His toughness and willingness to compete on both ends of the floor has been mighty impressive and although his shooting touch needs work (41.9 FG%, 28.1% from 3), his willingness to keep firing and ability to hit some tough looks is a good sign that more efficient scoring days are ahead for the reigning #1 pick.
Honorable Mentions: Keegan Murray (Kings), Benedict Mathurin (Pacers), Jaden Ivey (Pistons)
Top 6th Man: Malcolm Brogdon (Celtics)
Perhaps the most unsung part of the Celtics dominant start to the season has been the play of Brogdon. He was brought to Boston to provide a desperately needed spark off the bench and with his lethal outside shooting, smooth facilitation of the second unit offense and terrific fit in the Celtics constant switch-driven defense, he's delivered just that on a nightly basis.
Honorable Mentions: Norman Powell (Clippers), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Bobby Portis (Bucks)
Top Coach: Mike Brown (Kings)
No disrespect to Joe Mazzulla-who has done a terrific job of navigating a very difficult situation in Boston that saw him take over for Ime Udoka a month before the season by keeping the team playing at a high level in the face of an uncomfortable off-court situation, but Mike Brown went to the current worst franchise in the 4 major American sports leagues and has them on the cusp of breaking their NBA-record 16-year playoff drought in his 1st season on the job. They've already won more games at the All-Star break this year (33) than they did in the entire 2021-22 season (30) and the emphasis on offensive ball movement and spacing that he brought over from Golden State has catapulted them all the way to #1 in the league in scoring and #2 in offensive rating.
Honorable Mentions: J.B. Bickerstaff (Cavailers), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Mike Malone (Nuggets)
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