With one month left in the regular season, some of the NBA’s top awards are seemingly up for grabs.
Most Valuable Player — Joel Embiid: Embiid emerges from the three-way competition with Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Rookie of the Year — Evan Mobley: Look, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham is now showing the world the skills that got him drafted No.
Yet, Embiid deserves kudos for ensuring the Sixers remained a title contender without Ben Simmons all season before the franchise dealt him before the trade deadline to Brooklyn as a centerpiece for James Harden.
Just like Davis, Mobley has an imposing presence on both ends of the floor with his length, strong decision making and competitive spirit.
Defensive Player of the Year — Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar appears on track to win his second DPOY in two years for mostly similar reasons with his stellar athleticism, length and strength.
Even with the Cavs nursing varying injuries all season, Bickerstaff’s steady albeit demanding presence has helped Cleveland stay in the mix.
Most Valuable Player — Joel Embiid: Pure, relentless and consistent dominance has been the bar set by Embiid, who is a force at both ends and is almost singlehandedly elevating the Sixers near the top of the Eastern Conference.
That said, Cunningham has flourished since an early injury and, with his passing, outside shooting and leadership, impacts his club as well or slightly better than Mobley, who’s simply surrounded by better teammates.
Defensive Player of the Year — Rudy Gobert: It does seem boring to pencil in his name every year, but if it’s deserving, what’s the crime here? Utah’s defensive efficiency falls off a cliff in games he misses, mainly because he’s the core.
Bickerstaff: Once again, a major award is up for grabs, because Taylor Jenkins, if you haven’t noticed, is stealthily directing a rather young Memphis team into a prime position out West.
Rookie of the Year — Evan Mobley: The top of this class has been so good that Josh Giddey, Herbert Jones or Franz Wagner is going to miss out on All-Rookie First Team honors.
The Jazz haven’t been as good a defensive team as they were last season, but they climbed back into the top 10 on that end with their destruction of the Blazers on Wednesday, and they’ve been much better defensively with Gobert on the floor.
But Williams gets the edge here because the Suns have executed on both ends of the floor at such a high level and so consistently.
On the same night Embiid dropped 43 against Chicago, Jokic reeled off a 32-point triple-double on the second leg of a back-to-back after producing a 46-point triple-double the night before with four blocks and three steals in 42 minutes on the floor.
Both Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes are deserving, but they just haven’t been as impactful as Mobley, who has put together a pair of 20-point double-doubles in his last two outings to help the Cavaliers climb out of a three-game losing streak and stay in the thick of postseason contention.
He’s pulled down double-digits in defensive rebounds in six of his last eight games, averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.8 steals over that same span with Milwaukee winning six of those outings.
But only one can win this award, and that’s got to be Williams. If you’ve spent any time watching the Suns, you notice almost immediately how they play virtually the same on both ends of the floor without their best players, Chris Paul and Devin Booker, in the lineup.
By clicking “Submit”, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.