A pair of star point guards and MVP candidates have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for December, with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks winning the award in the East and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder claiming it in the West, per the league (Twitter link).
Brunson was named Player of the Week twice in December and led the Knicks to an NBA Cup championship. He averaged 30.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per contest in 13 December outings, posting a strong shooting line of .475/.405/.826 and leading his team to a 10-3 record in the games he played.
Those stats don’t include the NBA Cup final, which doesn’t count toward the regular season, but he was excellent in that game too, racking up 25 points and eight assists as the Knicks toppled the Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, continued to strengthen his case for a second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in 12 December appearances, with averages of 31.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, and a scorching-hot .594/.436/.882 shooting line.
Gilgeous-Alexander now ranks second in the NBA in scoring (32.1 PPG), while his Thunder – following a 9-4 December – hold the league’s best record at 29-5.
It’s the third time Brunson has won a Player of the Month award and the fifth time Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the honor. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the NBA’s first Players of the Month this season, for games played in October and November.
Cunningham was also nominated for the Eastern Conference award in December, along with Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, Hawks forward, Jalen Johnson, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and Brunson’s teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The other Western Conference nominees were Jokic, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, Jazz guard Keyonte George, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Trail Blazers teammates Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, and Lakers teammates Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
How can a guy be player of the month when he was 0-3 in games that mattered and was outplayed in each. The NBA is such a mess.
So name the West Player of the Month then. This is your big chance to actually say something.
Was it the player who took his team to an 8-5 record? With two losses to DAL? Fun fact, that player is also winless against the Spurs this year.
the league is literally in the pocket of SGA, the biggest grifter all-time who isn’t even entertaining, he plays boring hoop – SGA sucks and is a phony, just like OKC buying off all the refs after winning a title (weird how the opposite happened with Steph/GSW).
Bro the NBA is NOT plotting for small town Oklahoma to win. There’s no money in it. But SGA is definitely not that fun to watch I agree with that part.
Breath Davey, nothing lasts forever, it was a good ride. I can’t stand SGA though, hate watching him play. Same goes for Brunson. Both rely heavily on the whistle and tricking officials to be effective. You can thank LBJ for how soft the league has become. Got way out hand when that guy couldn’t get over the hump. Protected species flopper. Monkey see monkey do. Why wouldn’t other all stars or all nba talents play like this.
Harden did it too. Averaged like 37ppg on 3s and flops
The refs are being paid to ensure my opponent wins, the last excuse of the pathetic.
Look at it logically. The NBA wouldn’t want a small town team like OKC to succeed, especially after they tanked their way to success. If there is cheating, logically it would be for the big name teams.
The NBA doesn’t care who wins games, not really. They want close games, storylines, and reasons for fans to tune in. The exception is the Lakers, and to a lesser extent the Celtics. But this isn’t favoritism, it’s economics. These are the teams that draw a large national audience. If these teams are competitive, the entire league benefits. Try watching games where you don’t care about either team, and just pay attention to the officiating.