Author: Hoops Rumors

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until June, we’re making our picks for 2019’s major awards over the next two weeks.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 comment section below to share your thoughts.

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

Austin Kent: Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
While it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a top-five player evolve into a superstar, the Bucks benefited immensely from the excellent decision to hire Budenholzer, who took a good team propped up by its best player and morphed it into a well-oiled machine.

With Budenholzer at the helm, the Bucks increased their pace from 20th in the league to fifth. More impressively, they did so while also improving their defense. The Bucks were 18th in the league in defensive rating last season and first in 2018/19.

Suddenly, just one season removed from finishing as a 44-win squad and a relatively easy out, the Bucks are a 60-win behemoth and a legitimate title contender. Attribute some of that to the obvious strides Giannis Antetokounmpo took, but attribute the rest to the man that led the transformation from the sidelines.

Chris Crouse: Kenny Atkinson (Nets)
The Spurs were essentially forced to trade away Kawhi Leonard, and Gregg Popovich picked up the pieces and made the postseason. Doc Rivers took a Clippers team whose front office appeared to de-emphasize this campaign (perhaps as part of a plan to pursue Leonard this offseason) and improbably delivered the City of L.A.’s only playoff berth. Mike Budenholzer surveyed the Bucks’ roster and implemented a scheme that led Milwaukee to become the best team in the East.

None may be as impressive as Atkinson. The Atkinson-led Nets found their way to the postseason as a result of the coach’s on-court precision in play-calling and off-court player development. Several coaches deserve to be considered for the COY award, but Atkinson tops the field for his work in Brooklyn.

Arthur Hill: Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
Budenholzer transformed the Bucks by emphasizing 3-pointers and defense, posting the league’s best record with a team that won 44 games last season. Antetokounmpo has taken a noticeable leap forward under Budenholzer, who has maximized the Greek Freak’s potential by surrounding him with shooters. Michael Malone, Kenny Atkinson, Steve Clifford and Doc Rivers all deserve consideration, but Budenholzer stands out for turning the Bucks into legitimate title contenders.

Luke Adams: Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
In a crowded field of Coach of the Year candidates for 2018/19, Budenholzer wasn’t necessarily the one who did the most with the least, but he had a major hand in the Bucks‘ breakthrough season. Even those of us that were high on Milwaukee entering the season didn’t expect this — the team’s 60 wins were an NBA high, and its +8.6 net rating was the best mark since the 2016/17 Warriors.

Although much was made of Budenholzer’s ability to unlock the Bucks’ offensive potential by spacing the floor around Antetokounmpo with shooters, his work on the other end of the court impressed me more. Milwaukee ranked 18th in the league in defensive rating in 2017/18, and its offseason additions – including Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova – weren’t exactly All-Defense contenders. The Bucks were nonetheless the hardest team to score on at the rim in 2018/19 despite rarely fouling, and improved their overall defensive rating to a league-best 104.9.

Dana Gauruder: Doc Rivers (Clippers)
Stripped of his title as president of basketball operations a couple years ago, Rivers was able to fully concentrate on what he does best. He did a masterful job of massaging victories out of an ever-changing roster. The Clippers won 48 games despite trading their top scorer (Tobias Harris) at the deadline. They also changed centers and shooting guards in mid-stream and had a rookie point guard running the show. Yet they got better as they went along, going 18-8 after the first week of February.

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

Previously:

• Executive of the Year

Still to come:

• Sixth Man of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Rookie of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until June, we’re making our picks for 2019’s major awards over the next two weeks.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 comment section below to share your thoughts.

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

Chris Crouse: Jon Horst (Bucks)
There are many deserving candidates this season, but Horst’s work in putting a full team around Giannis Antetokounmpo is especially deserving of recognition. The Bucks had the best record in the league backed by the best defense in the NBA and a top-5 offense.

Milwaukee’s maneuvers over the past few years began this journey to what could be a 2018/19 Eastern Conference crown and Horst’s transactions since the end of last season took the team from an up-and-coming squad to a legit contender. Signing Brook Lopez with the bi-annual exception, negotiating the pair of trades that netted Nikola Mirotic, and inking Eric Bledsoe to a long-term deal all qualify as wins. Landing Mike Budenholzer to coach the team is also a major accomplishment.

The executive of the year award sometimes rewards team presidents and GMs for the culmination of their work and in other years, it’s based on the moves made within the calendar year. Horst checks off both boxes and should receive this season’s hardware.

Clark Crum: Jon Horst (Bucks)
The Bucks won 60 games when nobody expected them to do so and finished with the franchise’s best regular season record in 38 years. Horst’s best move was clearly hiring head coach Budenholzer this offseason, but let us not forget the other, smaller transactions he oversaw along the way. First, he didn’t overpay Jabari Parker, opting instead to rescind the former No. 2 overall pick’s qualifying offer. He then signed (no, stole) Lopez for only $3.3MM and also traded for both George Hill and Mirotic. The Bucks had a terrific season, and Horst should be recognized as such.

Austin Kent: Brett Brown/Elton Brand (Sixers)
The departure of LeBron James last summer left a gaping hole at the top of the Eastern Conference and there was no shortage of teams eager to make short-term moves and fill it. The front office that best positioned itself to leave a larger impact in 2018/19 than it did last season was Philadelphia.

Brett Brown and Elton Brand helped the Sixers evolve this season from an upstart young team with a hypothetically great young duo into a legitimate championship threat. They could have played it safe and let Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons sharpen their teeth in the playoffs – nobody would have derided them for a loss in the first or second round – but they altered their roster significantly to pad their core with a hardened leader in Jimmy Butler and underrated supplemental star in Tobias Harris.

The fact that they did so while patching together a competent rotation on the fly and not mortgaging their future is an accomplishment worthy of praise.

Dana Gauruder: Jon Horst (Bucks)
We’ve seen other small market teams make missteps while building around a superstar. Horst and the Bucks have mostly made the right moves while heading into the playoffs with the NBA’s best record.

Lopez turned into one of the biggest steals in last season’s free agent market. Horst won the bidding for Mirotic at the trade deadline and the sharp-shooting forward could be a key in the playoffs. Hill’s contract (non-guaranteed $18MM next season) gives the front office some flexibility. Bledsoe’s extension near season’s end was a reasonable price for a starting point guard. All in all, nice work for a young GM.

Luke Adams: Masai Ujiri (Raptors)
The criteria for Executive of the Year isn’t quite as byzantine as the criteria for some of the NBA’s other awards, but it can still be tricky to determine how heavily to weigh the impact of an executive’s current-season moves versus his previous moves coming to fruition. In Ujiri’s case, it’s hard to separate the two, given how obviously they’re connected.

His biggest swing – acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a draft pick – was a direct response to the Raptors’ previous playoff failures and has worked out so far, raising the team’s postseason ceiling. Meanwhile, many of Ujiri’s previous non-lottery draft picks or UDFA signings have either developed into important rotation players – like Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, and especially Pascal Siakam – or have been key pieces in major trades, as was the case for Poeltl and Delon Wright (dealt in the package for Marc Gasol).

It remains to be seen whether the Raptors can exorcise their playoff demons and make a legitimate title run, but Ujiri has been aggressive and creative in building the most talented roster Toronto has ever had.

Arthur Hill: Jon Horst (Bucks)
The Bucks have seemed destined for greatness ever since drafting Antetokounmpo, but Horst found the right complementary players and the right coach to make it happen. Signing Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova in free agency and then adding Mirotic in a deadline trade gave the Bucks plenty of shooters to surround Antetokounmpo and to maximize Budenholzer’s philosophy that emphasizes the 3-pointer. Horst made all the right decisions to lead Milwaukee to the best record in the league.

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

Up next: Coach of the Year.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards now.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 wrapping things up today with the award for Most Valuable Player. Here are our selections:

Arthur Hill: James Harden (Rockets)
It seems like Harden has had the award wrapped up since training camp as the best player on one of the most dynamic offenses the NBA has ever seen. The numbers speak for themselves with a league-best 30.4 points per game to go with 8.8 assists, but they don’t fully tell the story of how good Harden has been. He puts pressure on opposing defenses with each trip down court and creates wide open shots for his teammates. He was also instrumental in bringing Chris Paul to Houston, so Harden is most valuable in every sense of the word.

Dana Gauruder: LeBron James (Cavaliers)
James Harden will almost certainly win the award, in part because he finished second to Russell Westbrook last season, but is there really any doubt who is the league’s Most Valuable Player? James ought to be slowing down at this point of his career. Instead, he’s more dangerous and durable than ever. The Kyrie Irving trade left James without a true sidekick (sorry Kevin Love), forcing him to shoulder an even heavier burden. He appeared in every game and dominated most of them. How many wins would the Cavs have without him? He’s an indestructible marvel.

Luke Adams: James Harden (Rockets)
While his game isn’t always pretty to watch, Harden was the NBA’s most effective offensive player in 2017/18. He found countless ways to score, repeatedly getting to the free throw line and utilizing a deadly step-back three-point shot that was virtually impossible to guard. And if defenses sent help his way, he made them pay to the tune of 8.8 assists per game.

Harden won’t be making an All-Defensive team anytime soon, but he has cut way down on his embarrassing gaffes on that end of the court, and the Rockets don’t need him to be an elite defender. With guys like Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker, and Luc Mbah a Moute around to guard opposing teams’ top perimeter threats, Harden did fine with the defensive assignments he was given, and even graded out as a solid overall defender, as Ben Alamar of ESPN.com detailed in March. Given his offensive prowess, that’s more than enough to make him a worthy MVP winner.

Clark Crum: James Harden (Rockets)
Harden was the best player on the league’s best team, often a prerequisite for consideration of this award. Throw in the stats – he led the league in scoring (30.4), was third in assists (8.8), and made 265 three-pointers (9th all time) – and the fact that he led the Rockets to a franchise record in wins (65), and it’s hard to see anyone else winning MVP this season, LeBron James included.

Austin Kent: LeBron James (Cavaliers)
While James sits in a class of five or six NBA masterminds putting forth yearly stats lines that previous generations could have only dreamed of, he sits alone among them as the only one doing so while carrying a genuine contender on his back. A lot of people like to get cute with how they interpret the rule but at the end of the day, only one thing matters: if this is what James is capable of surrounded by Kevin Love and a handful of beet farmers, imagine what he’d be able to do running the floor with Chris Paul in Houston? Or put differently, how much better a team like the Thunder would be with James on board instead of Russell Westbrook?

Chris Crouse: James Harden (Rockets)
LeBron James is still the best player in the world and after Cleveland’s trade deadline deals, he played like it. He shot 53.9% from the field and nearly averaged a triple double for a two-and-a-half-month stretch, tallying 29.5 points, 9.5 assists and 9.7 rebounds per game since GM Koby Altman brought in a group of young, spry athletes around him. Does that spectacular run of 28 games help to overshadow the month leading up to the trades where he was consistency found stewing on the court, taking a passive approach to the game, and failing to bring inspiration to his team? I’m not sure.

For the first time in his career, James played 82 games, making him one of four players this season (along with Bradley Beal, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Khris Middleton) to average over 20 points per game while not missing a single contest. Harden played in just 72 games because of injury and some rest. The Beard also played in several games that were rendered meaningless for his team, while James’ club had to fight through the end of the regular season to try and secure a top-four seed. Yet. if Cleveland didn’t falter earlier in the season with James’ hand-pick crew, maybe the Land isn’t sweating over seeding during the last week of the season and maybe we’re talking about James as the best player on a top-two team in the East rather than one that came within a two-game losing streak of not even getting home court advantage in the first round.

Harden led his team to the best record in the league while facing an arguably tougher slate out West. According to Win Shares, he’s responsible for nearly 1.5 more victories than James (15.4 to 14.0) despite suiting up for 10 fewer contests. He scored just 60 fewer points on the season in 475 fewer minutes than LBJ did and he bested The King in player efficiency rating. It’s a close race, but Harden gets the nod for me.

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

Previously:

• Executive of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Sixth Man of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards now.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 Defensive Player of the Year. Here are our selections:

Austin Kent: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Although he missed a significant chunk of the 2017/18 season, it’s hard to give this award to anybody but Gobert, whose defensive rating is in a class of its own. More importantly, Gobert has singlehandedly given his team an identity as a defensive force. Gobert meets the analytics test and the eye test, all while serving as a physical deterrent that opposing coaches need to build their sets around. Quite frankly, it’s strange he hasn’t won the award already.

Arthur Hill: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
The Jazz became an elite team once Gobert returned from a pair of knee injuries, and it wasn’t because of his scoring. He is one of the NBA’s top rim protectors with 2.3 blocks per game, which makes defensive schemes much easier for his teammates. Utah put up the league’s best defensive numbers after Gobert got healthy in mid-January, and it can be attributed to the intimidating presence he brings in the middle.

Chris Crouse: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
Rudy Gobert, who should have been the clear winner had he played around 70 games, opened the door for other candidates by only suiting up in 56. Joel Embiid‘s defensive work this season has been beautiful to watch, but he only played in 63 games. Then there’s Davis, a freak defender who continues to grow on both sides of the court and someone who will be in contention for this award every season as long as he remains healthy.

I entered the writing of this pick without a decision made. I’d be fine with any of the aforementioned players taking home the honors. Same with Al Horford, who is one of the Celtics’ two best players. But, my vote goes to Davis. He shared the floor with several minus defenders possession after possession (and the Pelicans had the most possessions in the league this season) and willed them to an above average mark on the defensive side of the court so that he could take care of business on the other end. Giving him the award this season feels right.

Dana Gauruder: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Utah finished second in the league in fewest points allowed in the paint and first in fewest second-chance points. Gobert is the primary reason for that. He’s arguably the league’s premier interior defender and shot-blocker. Donovan Mitchell will grab all the headlines for Utah, but Gobert is just as important to the team’s success.

Luke Adams: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
On a game-by-game basis, Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid may have edged out Davis in terms of defensive impact. But giving a major award to a player who misses a significant chunk of the season doesn’t sit right with me, making it difficult for me to give my vote to Gobert (56 games) or Embiid (63).

Gobert and Embiid are terrific defensive centers and should have plenty of chances to win this award in future seasons, but I believe Davis is deserving of the nod this year. The Pelicans’ defensive rating improved by approximately seven points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor, and he led the NBA in blocks (2.6 BPG) for the third time in the last five years. Davis also didn’t have the same level of defensive help that the other candidates did, particularly in the frontcourt, where he often played alongside mediocre defenders like DeMarcus Cousins and Nikola Mirotic.

The Pelicans’ defense wasn’t elite, but without Davis’ efforts, it likely would’ve been among the NBA’s worst.

Clark Crum: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
I realize Gobert missed 26 games, but the Jazz’ defensive numbers when he was on the floor are just too impressive to overlook. The team’s defensive rating when Gobert was on the court was 97.7, which is 3.8 points better than the Celtics’ league-leading rating of 101.5. To put that difference in perspective, a team with a rating of 105.3 – 3.8 points worse than the Celtics – would have placed 12th in defensive rating.

Gobert’s individual defensive rating of 97.7 led the NBA among players who averaged at least 30 MPG in 10 or more games. Add to that the fact that the Jazz’ record was 11-15 without him – a winning percentage similar to the Lakers’ 35-47 mark – and 37-19 with him – akin to the Celtics’ 55-27 record – and it’s easy to see why Gobert deserves this award.

Previously:

• Executive of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Sixth Man of the Year
• Rookie of the Year

Still to come:

• Most Valuable Player

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards now.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 Rookie of the Year. Here are our selections:

Dana Gauruder: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
Donovan Mitchell was an absolute steal with the No. 13 overall pick and most lottery teams last June will lament passing him over. Unfortunately for the dynamic point guard, Simmons had his rookie season pushed back a season by a foot injury. He’s a threat to post a triple-double every night and he, along with Joel Embiid, will make the Sixers contenders for many years to come. When Embiid was injured late in the regular season, Simmons showed he could carry the team on his shoulders.

Austin Kent: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
This is Simmons’ first year playing in and having an impact on NBA games. That’s all there is to it. Dwelling on semantics is what gave us 2017 winner Malcolm Brogdon, which I heartily opposed this time last year because there’s absolutely no denying that someone else was the most impactful, memorable first-year performer. Unless you want to retroactively strip previous award winners David Robinson and Blake Griffin for not playing in their draft year, or heck, put asterisks next to four-year college seniors like Tim Duncan and Damian Lillard for having an unfair life experience advantage, that’s how the award works.

Clark Crum: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
I have no qualm with Donovan Mitchell winning this award, but I’m picking Simmons because his team finished with a better record by four games, he averaged twice as many assists and rebounds as Mitchell, and he played in a more efficient manner throughout the season (via PER). Moreover, playoff performance is not taken into account. If it was, I may very well have picked Mitchell.

I consider both players to be future stars, and I don’t think the comparisons from the 2003/04 rookie class – Simmons/LeBron James and Mitchell/Dwyane Wade – are as far off as some think.

Arthur Hill: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
If the vote included the playoffs, Jayson Tatum might have a strong case, but it’s really a two-man race between Simmons and Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is the more dangerous scorer and was a huge reason that Utah was able to survive the loss of Gordon Hayward. He has a significant edge in terms of three-pointers and free throws, two big holes in Simmons’ game. However, Simmons is a better rebounder and distributor and a much stronger presence on defense. He gets a narrow vote in a talented rookie class.

Chris Crouse: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
Can we retroactively give Simmons the 2016/17 award while giving this year’s to Donovan Mitchell? No? That’s understandable, but had Simmons or Mitchell somehow experienced their respective rookie seasons in any year over the last decade, I’d argue that only Blake Griffin would have won the ROY honors over either of them. That’s how good each player was this season and that’s how tight of a race this actually is.

Simmons gets my vote by the slightest of margins, though if Mitchell wins it, I wouldn’t protest. However, plenty of fans of the runner-up’s team certainly will, taking to Twitter to express outrage at how the league hates their player. Just remember, a vote in one direction is not a sign of disrespect for the other — especially this season.

Luke Adams: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
If this award was about exceeding expectations – as it often is with awards like Coach of the Year or Most Improved Player – Donovan Mitchell‘s case would be a little stronger. Simmons, the No. 1 pick in 2016, was always viewed as a potential star, while Mitchell nearly slipped out of the lottery in 2017. Now, both players look like future All-Stars.

I give Simmons the slight edge for his efficiency and his all-around contributions as a defender, rebounder, and distributor, which made up for his lack of an outside shot. But Mitchell’s case is compelling, and so is Jayson Tatum‘s, for that matter — Tatum played the role of a crucial contributor on a playoff team better than last year’s Rookie of the Year (Malcolm Brogdon) did.

Previously:

• Executive of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Sixth Man of the Year

Still to come:

• Defensive Player of the Year
• Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards now.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 Sixth Man of the Year. Here are our selections:

Clark Crum: Lou Williams (Clippers)
Williams won Sixth Man of the Year three seasons ago while averaging 15.5 PPG and sporting a .404/.340/.861 shooting line. If that’s any indication, then this award is Williams’ to lose this year. Williams posted a career-high 22.6 points and 5.3 assists per game while also improving his shooting numbers across the board (.435/.359/.880) from his award-winning 2014/15 season.

All in all, Williams led all bench players in scoring, was second in assists, and maintained a top-40 PER, the best of any reserve averaging over 25 MPG, while almost leading a depleted Clippers squad to the playoffs.

Dana Gauruder: Lou Williams (Clippers)
Williams came off the bench in 60 of 79 games and averaged career highs in scoring and assists. Volume had something to do with it, as he also averaged 16.9 shots, four more than he had in any previous season. But no one fills the role of “instant offense” like Williams.

Arthur Hill: Lou Williams (Clippers)
Williams did a little bit of everything this season. He even made a compelling case for why he deserves this award.

“First player to lead the team in scoring and assists off the bench,” he said in a late-season interview. “I had an opportunity to be in the All-Star talks and just for us to be competitive with the way that everything went. Honestly speaking, I had a lot to do with it.”

After the season Williams turned in, it’s hard to argue. He put up starter’s numbers coming off the bench and is an easy choice for Sixth Man of the Year.

Chris Crouse: Lou Williams (Clippers)
Eric Gordon, who has continued to play a vital role for the Rockets, and Fred VanVleet, who led arguably the league’s best second-unit, cannot go unmentioned. In reality though, they’re playing for second place. The Clippers appeared destined to fall deep into the lottery after seeing injuries pile up and shipping Blake Griffin to Detroit, but Williams wouldn’t let that happen. He carried the offensive burden night after night, averaging 22.6 points per contest, and helped Doc Rivers & Co. remain in playoff contention through the final stretch of the season. Williams believes he deserves the award — after his year of work, he’s right.

Austin Kent: Lou Williams (Clippers)
Williams gets better with age, the product of a shifting NBA landscape and teams finally playing to his strength as a volume scoring combo guard. While the 31-year-old is a head above the league’s next most productive reserve, it’s hard to be all that satisfied with his selection considering that he’s his team’s best player (sorry DeAndre) and plays starter’s minutes anyway. Can we just all agree to start limiting this award to players who play fewer than 30 minutes a night from now on?

Luke Adams: Lou Williams (Clippers)
In another season, Eric Gordon would’ve had a strong case for this award. He averaged 18.0 PPG for the 65-win Rockets, pouring in 3.2 three-pointers per game and providing stability in the backcourt while James Harden and Chris Paul dealt with injuries. He also played solid defense all season long, which can’t necessarily be said for Williams. But Williams’ offensive output – and his overall importance to the Clippers – makes him the clear-cut favorite for the this award. Williams’ case for Sixth Man is similar to Victor Oladipo‘s for Most Improved — there are other candidates whose seasons should be recognized, but one candidate is far above the field.

Who is your pick for Sixth Man of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comment section below!

Previously:

• Executive of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Most Improved Player

Still to come:

• Rookie of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards over the next two weeks.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 selections:

Clark Crum: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
This one is pretty easy for me. As I noted within my Executive of the Year pick, Oladipo had largely underperformed as a former No. 2 overall selection in the forgettable 2013 draft before this season. Almost everyone panned the Pacers’ trade for him. Yet, Oladipo came out this year and averaged career-highs in PPG (23.1), RPG (5.2), APG (4.3), FG% (.477), 3P% (.371), and SPG (2.4), a category in which he led the NBA. He may very well be named to both an All-NBA and NBA All-Defensive Team.

I also gave strong consideration to Clint Capela and Terry Rozier, while Montrezl Harrell and Spencer Dinwiddie improved mightily as well, but I ultimately couldn’t see anyone but Oladipo winning this award.

Chris Crouse: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
With Paul George no longer on the team, the Pacers headed into the season with low expectations, viewed by many as more likely to land a top–five pick than make the playoffs. However, Oladipo’s unprecedented improvement, going from fringe starter to All-NBA candidate, gave Indiana life. He carried the Pacers all season and his development makes him more worthy of this award than past recipients.

Arthur Hill: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
Even before he went head-to-head with LeBron James in the playoffs, Oladipo clearly established himself as the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Oladipo’s qualifications go beyond the impressive numbers, including a 7.2 PPG increase in his scoring average. He provided the Pacers with an All-Star level performer to take the place of Paul George and enabled the franchise to claim the fifth seed when many thought it would collapse. Not bad for a guy who has been traded the past two summers.

Dana Gauruder: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
The Magic traded away the second pick of the 2013 draft after three ho-hum seasons. The Thunder dealt him after one year to get Paul George, which could very well turn into a one-season rental. Given a lead dog role, Oladipo blossomed in Indiana, not only scoring 23.1 PPG but improving his shooting percentages in the process. Defensively, he doubled his steals rate. The Pacers have a star they can build around, one who doesn’t openly pine to play in Los Angeles.

Austin Kent: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
There are a number of players who made notable improvements this season but Oladipo is the clear–cut top choice for the award. He didn’t simply continue an upward trend that he’d been on for years — he completely changed his perception in the league.

There’s no denying that the former No. 2 overall pick’s value was throttled during his one year in Oklahoma City, but his first year as a Pacer exceeded even the most ambitious outlook one could have had for him out of the draft back in 2013.

Luke Adams: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
While the qualifications for Most Improved Player can be confusing, Oladipo could very well be a unanimous pick this year for the reasons outlined above. So rather than restating his case, I’ll mention a few players whose improvement in 2017/18 also deserves recognition.

Jrue Holiday and Steven Adams elevated their games to another level this season, silencing doubts about their massive contracts. Fourth-year bigs Clint Capela and Aaron Gordon improved all around as they near restricted free agency, while Fred VanVleet, Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown, and Domantas Sabonis are among the players who made impressive second-year leaps. E’Twaun Moore and Joe Ingles also deserve credit for becoming key starters after multiple seasons as solid bench players.

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

Previously:

• Executive of the Year
• Coach of the Year

Still to come next week:

• Sixth Man of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards over the next two weeks.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices 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 selections:

Dana Gauruder: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics designed their schemes around new acquisitions Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, then lost one of them the first game of season. The other went down in the second half of the campaign, yet the Celtics are still going strong. They’re always well-prepared and play consistently hard, regardless of who’s available on a given night.

Arthur Hill: Quin Snyder (Jazz)
It’s a virtual tie between Snyder and Indiana’s Nate McMillan, who both led their teams to the playoffs after losing franchise players. The Jazz appeared headed for a major rebuilding project after Gordon Hayward left for Boston, especially with George Hill and Boris Diaw also departing. Snyder put his trust in rookie Donovan Mitchell and the team survived an early injury to Rudy Gobert before tearing through the league in the second half of the season. McMillan worked similar magic with the Pacers, who could have collapsed after trading Paul George. Both coaches turned in award-worthy performances, but Snyder gets a bonus point for doing it in the tougher Western Conference.

Austin Kent: Dwane Casey (Raptors)
While there are a few coaches who have helped squeeze every ounce of talent out of their players, none are more deserving of Coach of the Year than Casey. The Raptors head coach inspired a team of veterans to adapt their games in order to stay competitive in this league — and not a moment too soon.

With a roster largely unchanged from last season, Casey helped the Raptors improve their offensive and defensive ratings while finishing with their best regular season record in franchise history. If that wasn’t enough, he did it while boosting the value of a suddenly vaunted second unit and modernizing Jonas Valanciunas‘ old-school game.

Clark Crum: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics were expected to be where they are currently – in the playoffs and competing for the Eastern Conference crown – but the manner in which they got here is the reason Stevens should win this award. Prized free agent acquisition Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome ankle injury that ended his season in the first game of the year. Kyrie Irving played only 60 games and is now out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Reserve Daniel Theis also suffered a season-ending injury. Moreover, important contributors like Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart missed significant time with injury.

Yet, Stevens somehow managed to parlay all of that discord into the fourth-best record in the NBA, relying on rookie Jayson Tatum, second-year rising star Jaylen Brown, and out-of-nowhere Terry Rozier as key cogs to the Celtics’ success. How? Defense. The Celtics led the NBA in defensive rating, leaning on Stevens’ defensive principles throughout the season while relying on different personnel to provide offensive firepower without Hayward and Irving.

Luke Adams: Quin Snyder (Jazz)
There’s no shortage of worthwhile candidates for the Coach of the Year award this season — I considered Dwane Casey, Brad Stevens, Brett Brown, Nate McMillan, Mike D’Antoni, and Alvin Gentry, among others, before eventually circling back to Snyder. The Jazz head coach got career-best performances from Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles, found a way to make the Rudy Gobert/Derrick Favors frontcourt work, and trusted Donovan Mitchell with the keys to Utah’s offense. He also seemed to get the most out of players whose potential hadn’t been maximized in other situations – such as Jae Crowder – and no Western team had a better defensive rating than Snyder’s Jazz.

Chris Crouse: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
Popovich, who spent part of last offseason getting LaMarcus Aldridge to buy back into San Antonio’s system, gets my vote. The Spurs won 47 games this season while dealing with uncertainty, distractions, and decline from many of their veterans. Brad Stevens and Quin Snyder, who has looked like a man in need of a nap all season, both deserve immense credit. They both run complex schemes and had to integrate some major additions into their game plans this season. One of the two will likely win the award, but my vote will go to Popovich every year until someone drastically out-maneuvers the three-time Coach of the Year winner — that didn’t happen during the 2017/18 campaign.

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

Previously:

• Executive of the Year

Still to come:

• Most Improved Player
• Sixth Man of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.