2017 NBA Awards

With the 2016/17 NBA regular season in the books, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our selections below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

We’re keeping things going today with the award for Most Improved Player. Here are our picks:

Arthur Hill: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Antetokounmpo showed the nation on Saturday what Bucks fans have been watching all season. His 28 points and eight rebounds only told part of the story of his Game 1 dominance against Toronto. Already pegged as a future star before the season began, Antetokounmpo increased his scoring average by six points per game to 22.9 and raised his rebound (8.7) and assist (5.4) averages significantly over last year. He was also the Bucks’ leader in steals and blocks, making him the only player this season to lead his team in all five categories. Antetokounmpo may be a future MVP and is a clear choice for Most Improved.

Luke Adams: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
While Antetokounmpo’s leap from star to superstar was thrilling to watch and Rudy Gobert‘s improved offensive play took his game to another level, Jokic is my pick for making the jump from solid rotation player to one of the NBA’s best big men. After being inserted into the starting lineup permanently in mid-December, Jokic averaged an eye-popping 19.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 5.8 APG in 51 games. And this wasn’t just a case of increased minutes resulting in increased production — his field goal percentage and his per-minute numbers across the board improved significantly this season.

Dana Gauruder: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Who knew this guy would turn into a triple-double threat every night? Certainly not many NBA scouts, as he lasted until the 41st pick in 2014. He’ll provide the Nuggets with a unique weapon in the post for years to come.

Chris Crouse: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
The Greek Freak became a star during the 2016/17 campaign, averaging career-highs in points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks per game. As noted above, he led the Bucks in all those categories and he helped them secure a playoff berth after missing the postseason last year. Going from good to great is the hardest step a player can make, and Antetokounmpo deserves credit for making that improvement.

Austin Kent: Isaiah Thomas (Celtics)
There are a number of players who went from good to great this year, but Thomas has been the most improved player in the traditional sense that I’m choosing to base my vote on. This season, Thomas evolved from an opportunistic volume scorer into an outright star, raising his point production (28.9 PPG) and shooting percentages (.464/.380/.909) across the board.

Despite his small stature, Thomas can be a primary offensive weapon for an elite team and not just in a quirky, forced way because he’s the only option. As Boston has grown into a contender, Thomas has developed into a reliable cornerstone and actually answered a lot of the organization’s needs from within.

Who is your pick for Most Improved Player? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!

Previously:
April 13: Executive of the Year
April 14: Coach of the Year

Still to come:
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

With the 2016/17 NBA regular season in the books, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our selections below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

We’re keeping things going today with the award for Coach of the Year. Here are our picks:

Dana Gauruder: Mike D’Antoni (Rockets)
Many people thought D’Antoni was washed up and might not get another head coaching job. The Rockets rolled the dice and D’Antoni’s decision to make James Harden the primary ball-handler turned out to be a brilliant stroke. Houston has the second-most feared offense in the league behind only the uber-talented Warriors.

Austin Kent: Mike D’Antoni (Rockets)
In his first year with the Rockets, D’Antoni completely changed the culture of the organization. He didn’t just gradually facilitate the inevitable improvement of his players — he transformed how the team approaches the game. From the get-go, D’Antoni executed an unconventional vision and his decision to let Harden steer the ship as a point guard instantly spurred the team’s offensive metamorphosis and pushed Houston from a forgettable good team to a dark-horse great team.

Chris Crouse: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
Popovich is the best coach in the league. The Spurs remain in contention for a title every year and Popovich’s ability to get the most out of the team’s talent is a major reason why — just look at Dewayne Dedmon and Jonathon Simmons this season. David Lee appeared to be on his way to out of the league only two seasons ago, but this year under Popovich, you can argue that he had his most effective season as a pro. D’Antoni and Erik Spoelstra both deserve credit, but Pop continues to prove he deserves the award.

Arthur Hill: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics were supposed to get better after adding Al Horford in free agency, but hardly anyone expected a No. 1 seed. Boston doesn’t have a superstar like the other elite teams, but Stevens constantly has the team playing above its talent level. He took Isaiah Thomas, who was cast off by both the Kings and Suns, and turned him into an MVP candidate, and he gave rookie Jaylen Brown a smooth transition into the rotation. Stevens has been recognized as one of the league’s best bench coaches for years, and now he has a No. 1 seed to back it up.

Luke Adams: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
D’Antoni, Spoelstra, Scott Brooks, and a handful of other coaches have strong cases for this award, but it’s hard to vote against Popovich, who coaxed 61 wins out of a roster that’s not exactly loaded with All-Stars. While Kawhi Leonard is a bona-fide MVP candidate, many other Spurs are either past their primes (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Pau Gasol) or haven’t yet peaked (Jonathon Simmons, Kyle Anderson, Davis Bertans). Tim Duncan‘s retirement seemed to mark the end of an era in San Antonio, but the Popovich-led Spurs didn’t miss a beat in Duncan’s absence.

Who is your pick for Coach of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!

Previously:
April 13: Executive of the Year

Still to come:
April 17: Most Improved Player
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Now that the 2016/17 NBA regular season has come to an end, we’ll be making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our picks below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

We’re kicking things off today with the award for Executive of the Year. Here are our selections:

Dana Gauruder: Daryl Morey (Rockets)
The Rockets spent big bucks on free agents and those moves paid off. Eric Gordon stayed healthy for a change and emerged as the second-league scorer and Ryan Anderson filled the role of stretch four. A trade deadline move gave them another valuable piece – Lou Williams – for the playoffs.

Austin Kent: Bob Myers (Warriors)
The Warriors added a top-five player without disrupting their 73-win core. We can try to come up with excuses to give the award to somebody else, but that’s all they are — excuses. The addition of Kevin Durant may have interfered with the team’s flow at the beginning of the season but there’s no denying that the organization is in a better place in the long run. This front office hasn’t made many moves since the summer, but the few moves they’ve made have been smart and calculated. I give them full credit for adding Zaza Pachulia as a bargain bin replacement for Andrew Bogut and recognizing JaVale McGee’s value when other teams failed to.

Chris Crouse: Daryl Morey (Rockets)
Dwight Howard may no longer be the force he was during his prime, but he’s still a top center in the league and losing those types of players are supposed to hurt a franchise. The Rockets didn’t flinch when he left and part of the reason was the presence of Clint Capela. Morey had faith in the young center and that allowed him to use the majority of his resources to upgrade the team’s other positions.

Adding players is only part of the job of GM; knowing what you already have is equally as important. Morey deserves credit for assembling a team of shooters around James Harden, but he wouldn’t have been able to make some of his offseason moves if he didn’t have a great pulse on what he already had in-house. He checks all the Executive of the Year boxes for me.

Arthur Hill: Daryl Morey (Rockets)
After hiring Mike D’Antoni as coach last summer, Morey fully committed to the D’Antoni style of play. The Rockets have favored the 3-pointers and layups philosophy since Morey took over in 2007, but they never had the shooters to make it really work. This year, Morey signed Gordon and Anderson in free agency, then traded for Williams at the deadline. Add in the signing of veteran center Nene to a team-friendly deal, and it’s easy to see what the Rockets increased their win total by 14 games.

Luke Adams: John Hammond (Bucks)
Hammond’s work in free agency last summer wasn’t overly impressive, with lucrative long-term deals for Miles Plumlee and Mirza Teletovic not working out as planned. But newly-added Matthew Dellavedova was a crucial rotation piece in Milwaukee this season, and Hammond did excellent work in other areas.

Landing Tony Snell and Michael Beasley in two offseason trades in exchange for players who weren’t in the Bucks’ long-term plans was deft, as was snagging potential Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in the second round of the draft and dumping Plumlee’s contract at the deadline. Meanwhile, many observers expected the Bucks to get whatever they could for Greg Monroe in a trade, but Hammond hung onto him and watched as he became one of the league’s most effective bench scorers. He also ignored calls to tank when Jabari Parker went down — that turned out to be the right decision, as the Bucks finished the season on an impressive 20-11 run, climbing to No. 6 in the East.

Who is your pick for Executive of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!

Schedule:
April 14: Coach of the Year
April 17: Most Improved Player
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: MVP

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.