The first half of the season in the NBA has already passed and it’s time to see which players are the contenders for the awards given at the end of the campaign. We will discuss who is the main MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth man, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the year and Coach of the year candidate. Some of the names that we are we going to predict are a bit surprising, while others are quite expected.
Most Valuable Player
It has to be Stephen Curry. He has played out of his mind until now and has had the best season career of his NBA career. It’s not very hard to name him as a midseason MVP and also a favorite to win the award, as he has definitely exceeded expectations this year. We all knew that he can score, but he has shown more than that – Curry has improved his facilitating and defense. He may not be the best or most complete player in the league, but he is definitely playing like the MVP of the league.
Defensive Player of the Year
There are a lot of players that are in the mix for this award, but Dwight Howard stands out. The center of the Houston Rockets has been healthy this season and this has been showing on the court – whenever he plays, the opposing team is having a pretty tough time scoring around the rim. Howard has returned to his form as a game-changer and this is why he stands out from all the other DPOY candidates this season.
Sixth man of the Year
Lou Williams of the Atlanta Hawks has been terrific all season long and his play has helped his team a lot. He is averaging 15.0 points per game in just 24.2 minutes of playing time. He brings a lot of offense from the bench and he can also create his own shot – a thing that the Hawks will definitely need in the post-season.
Most Improved Player
There isn’t a guy that can match the improvement of Jimmy Butler. The defensive minded player from last year is gone – Butler has been quite of an offensive force this season for the Bulls. His scoring average is up by 7 points, but it’s not only that – his averages in rebounding and assists have also increased.
Rookie of the year
Well this one is going to be also an easy one also – Andrew Wiggins is surely the rookie that has impressed us most this season. However, it may have been a bit of tighter race, but the other major candidates (Jabbari Parker and Julius Randle) got injured too early in the season.
Coach of the Year
Nobody has done a better job than Mike Budenholzer until now. The Atlanta Hawks coach has been absolutely terrific in the way he has led his team to the first place in the Eastern Conference. He has been able to make them a title contender, even though nobody thought of them as such in the beginning of the season.
NBA News: The player awards in the NBA through midseason
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