With the NBA season winding down it is about time to assess the various individual bodies of work that have been laid before us and make predictions on the most deserving for season end accolades.
The Association has three major awards that are worth discussing. All three of which are going to be contested right down to the finish. The League MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year awards promise to provide some drama as the season draws to a close.
We have already crowned our Coach of the Year winner so we move on to the Rookie of the Year honour. The winner of this award goes into an elite class of NBA royalty as previous winners of late include Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin.
The recipient of the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award is typically a top-three draft pick. In fact the lowest drafted player to win the award in the past decade was Amare Stoudemire who was drafted ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2002. Prior to that we need to go back 25 years to see a player out of the top-ten picks get the award as Mark Jackson took home the honours from the 1987 draft class.
This season has no one among the top-ten draft picks in the running for the award. The only player worth mentioning among the lot is Orlando’s Victor Oladipo who hasn’t played too badly; however, his season has been marred by inconsistency and poor shooting. To find our top three candidates for the NBA’s ROY award we must scan the late lottery selections and even so far as towards the end of the first round.
Going in order from highest draftee to lowest we start with the 11th overall selection in the draft that the Philadelphia 76ers used wisely on the multi-talent Michael Carter-Williams from Syracuse University. It was pretty evident from the season’s opening tip that MCW was a talent. In his first regular season game he put up a slash line of 22 points on 6-10 shooting, 7 rebounds, 12 assists and 9 steals. It’s not everyday that a rookie comes within a whisper of recording a quadruple-double in his debut.
Since that time the rest of the rookie class has been playing catch up to MCW. He has 12 double-doubles on the season and a triple-double as well. He is the catalyst of the 76ers offence and his play certainly made the decision to let Evan Turner go that much easier. This kid plays in the role of another Kidd; as in Jason, who was a nightly triple-double threat himself. MCW has a couple of inches at least and a jump shot on Kidd, the potential here is startling.
After Carter-Williams we continue our slide down the 2013 draft board till we land at the 15th spot. While the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo is a longshot at best here and he probably isn’t really in consideration given that Oladipo’s numbers are a whole lot better to this point; however, the “Greek Freak” is being recognized as having the highest ceiling of all the players in the draft.
After each roadtrip where the Bucks promptly get their butts handed to them by the home team, rival general managers openly gush about the talent and potential of Antetokounmpo. While it is an easy comparison to make given the body structure and length; the mere mention of Antetokounmpo in the same sentence as Kevin Durant speaks volumes about this kid’s skill set.
The numbers and averages aren’t there yet, but given time this 19-year old, supremely gifted athlete could be the talk of this draft class. He already has the charm and charisma of a seasoned NBA player and he has the appeal and likability that could make him a poster child for the NBA in the years to come.
Our last candidate for ROY honours is even further down the draft ladder. For this stop we check in with the New York Knicks who drafted wisely with their 24th overall selection. Expectations for Tim Hardaway Jr. this season were low, in fact many folks believed that Hardaway would be spending the majority of the season in the Developmental League.
To his credit Hardaway played his way onto the roster with impressive exhibition performances and he hasn’t looked back since. Hardaway has had eight games with 20 or more points this season and is doing every bit of his part to get the Knicks into the playoffs as he has three consecutive 20-plus point outings.
Hardaway’s play has him coveted by many; however, the Knicks have made it clear that he is virtually untouchable on their roster. The brainstrust in New York isn’t known for their decision making; however, they seem to have stumbled upon a draft day gem here as Hardaway shows great promise as a rookie.
Many folks stated that this past draft was regarded as being weak in terms of depth; however, it is the depth to this draft that has produced the stars of tomorrow. The one who shines brightest at the moment and for this season is none other than Michael Carter-Williams. His play has been outstanding and because of him the fate of the 76er franchise seems to be in good hands. Carter-Williams has to be the unanimous winner of the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.