Everyone on this site, it seems, gets to publish individual rankings for everything from MVP to Sixth Man to Rookie of the Year to Most Improved. Heck, we have more rankings on this site than Gallup.
Well, just because Sheridan stuck me and my brother Andy with the Power Rankings — a broader picture looking at the 30 teams, not necessarily the 430 players on them — shouldn’t mean we go voteless, right? I kid. Our canvas is blank, so this week we mount an insurrection of sorts.
Yes, you are still getting the Power Rankings (also known as Grizzlies riding an elevator).
But this week I’m also giving you my picks in the individual races, too.
Hey, a blank canvas is a blank canvas.
MVP: Kevin Durant
LeBron James is still this planet’s best player, but has clearly (and justifiably) spent the first half of the year in cruise control. Meanwhile, Durant’s numbers are absurd.
It’s not just the scoring or the efficiency, but the floor game. Durant is rebounding, dishing, and working on defense. He has the Thunder at the top of the NBA despite the loss of Russell Westbrook. Honorable mentions to LBJ, Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, and, had he not been injured, Chris Paul.
Rookie of the Year: Michael Carter-Williams
A full season of Trey Burke might have changed the equation, and Victor Oladipo has done good, if inefficient, work.
But Carter-Williams is clearly at the front of a weak rookie class. He leads all newbies in minutes per game and PER, and defensively has been about as good as a first-year can be earning heavy PT on a bad team.
Most Improved Player: Lance Stephenson
Miles Plumlee deserves all sorts of credit for his season in Phoenix. Andre Drummond’s ascension continues, Reggie Jackson has filled in large for Westbrook, and among the already-good Paul George and Anthony Davis continue to move their ceilings higher. But Stephenson was an important player last year who has grown only more so, and raised his play in the process for arguably the league’s best team. His PER, true shooting, rebounding rate, and assist rate have all skyrocketed. The Pacers are, via 82Games.com, 10.4 points better with him on the floor than off. Some years, MIP is about a guy who puts up bigger stats because he’s playing bigger minutes, not because he’s actually gotten any better. Not Stephenson.
Defensive Player of the Year: Roy Hibbert (and friends)
The Pacers are the league’s best defensive team by a mile, and Hibbert is the guy anchoring the operation. He leads the league in defensive rating, is third in defensive win shares, is among the elites in shot blocking categories, and only doesn’t register in the rebounding categories because so many other guys on his team (Stephenson, George, David West) hit the glass so well. But while Hibbert gets the nod, don’t forget George. His defensive numbers are outstanding as well. Among non-Pacers, blue ribbons for Serge Ibaka, Joakim Noah, and Andre Iguodala.
Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili
There are some hoping Nick Young might get some love in an otherwise awful Lakers season, and while Jamal Crawford’s efficiency as a starter wasn’t great, he’s been spectacular off the bench.
But while his latest injury might take him out of the running for the season long award, at the mid-point Ginobili is the winner. His offensive production has been great, with a full floor game critical to San Antonio’s collective success.
Coach of the Year: Jeff Hornacek
The improvement of Portland this year under Terry Stotts is spectacular, but the idea a fringy Western Conference team with two legitimate star types in Aldridge and Damian Lillard might make a leap is nothing compared to what the Suns have done.
Making the playoffs isn’t guaranteed in a stacked W.C., but this was a group most expected to win 25 games. Moreover, they’ve gone 11-9. including 8-3 over their last 11 since losing Eric Bledsoe.
OK, with that out of the way, here we go: Onto the rankings.