What's up basketball fans! I am here again @dwin0603 to give you another exciting basketball discussion for another episode of NBA Talk, and today we will talk about the NBA Awards for the 2018-2019 season. Let's do this!
On May 17, 2019, the finalists for this season's NBA Awards were already out to give recognition to the best performers this season. These awards are, the Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year. The Awards night will be held on June 24 that will be hosted by the one and only Shaquille O'Neal in Los Angeles.
Most Valuable Player
The finalists for the MVP Award are:
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks
James Harden of the Houston Rockets
Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder
Giannis is likely to win this award after bringing the Bucks to the Conference Finals with the best record in the NBA. James Harden has a strong case in winning the award but being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs hurts his chances. Paul George had his run but he came up short and the Thunder also falls short early in the playoffs. I like PG13 a bit to win this award but OKC's failures take him out of the conversation, so I believe that it will be between Giannis and "The Beard".
Defensive Player of the Year
The finalists for the DPOY Award are:
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks
Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz
Giannis and PG13 have been outstanding not only in offense but also in defense. Both players can make history and win 2 awards in 1 season. One of them can take home both the MVP and the DPOY award. Or maybe one win the MVP and one win the DPOY. Rudy Gobert is a very solid defensive player every year and he's always in this conversation but George and Giannis did better this season in my opinion. I think their impact on their team defensively is more valuable than Gobert this season.
Rookie of the Year
The finalists for the ROY Award are:
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks
DeAndre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns
The battle for the ROY award is not even close at the beginning as Luka Doncic shocked the world with his incredible talent at his young age. But after the all-star break, Trae Young explodes and begin to show his presence making a strong case for the award. In my opinion, Doncic will still win the award because Young's explosion is a little late.
Sixth Man of the Year
The finalists for the Sixth Man Award are:
Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers
Montrezl Harrell of the Los Angeles Clippers
Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers
Two Clippers players were finalists for this award and that only shows how good their bench was and that's one of the main reasons why the Clippers make it to the playoffs even without even one superstar on their team. Sabonis has been good too but I think Harrell or Lou is more deserving to win the award. Their impact on the Clippers was huge, especially in the playoffs.
Most Improved Player of the Year
The finalists for the MIP Award are:
D'Angelo Russell of the Brooklyn Nets
Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors
De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings
No doubt, D'Lo will win this award. He brought the Nets to the playoffs and he just earned his 1st all-star appearance. But, Pascal Siakam is also deserving for the award. If we can just give the award to two players, we should give it to D'Lo and Siakam and give credit to De'Aaron Fox who is set to be one of the elite guards in the league soon.
Coach of the Year
The finalists for the MIP Award are:
Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks
Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers
Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets
Mike should win the award as his Milwaukee Bucks lead the NBA with the best record and now playing in the Conference Finals. Doc Rivers also deserves a lot of praise as he and his Clippers surprisingly make it to the playoffs and even steal 2 games from the Warriors in the first round.
That is all for today folks! I would love to hear your thoughts about this article, so drop your comments now and let's have some basketball talk! :)
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