Award race roundup halfway through the NBA season
Every NBA team has crossed the halfway mark of its season. At this point, unsustainably great starts have been revealed as fool's gold, and early-season cold streaks have given way to regression.
With half a season of knowledge, it's a good time to take stock of the races for the major awards - 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.
Most Valuable Player
Front-runner: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Finalists: James Harden, Rockets; Anthony Davis, Pelicans
The Bucks own the NBA's second-best record, and they have an average point differential (plus 9.3) that dwarfs the rest of the league. And Giannis Antetokounmpo is the main reason for the team's success.
Antetokounmpo hasn't entirely redefined his elite skill set, but he's still improved across the board. He's scoring more efficiently, corralling more rebounds, and dropping more dimes. New bench boss Mike Budenholzer deserves plenty of credit for coaching to Antetokounmpo's strengths (Bud will be in the running for an award, too). But the superstar forward still has to execute when his number is called.
James Harden is threatening to overtake Giannis with his supernova scoring streak, and with half a season to go, a repeat MVP season is in play for the Houston Rockets guard. But for now, what Antetokounmpo has done - on both ends of the floor - edges out The Beard's performance.
Defensive Player of the Year
Front-runner: Paul George, Thunder
Finalists: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks; Rudy Gobert, Jazz
Oklahoma City boasts the league's best defense. The three-man nucleus of Paul George, Jerami Grant, and "Aquaman" stand-in Steven Adams leads the team on that end of the floor. Playing together for 25-plus minutes per game, the trio is holding opponents to 99.3 points per 100 possessions.
George plays more minutes than his fellow Thunder defenders, yet has still posted a better individual defensive rating than both Grant and Adams. He does that while also leading OKC in scoring, which says a lot about George's effort this season.
Rookie of the Year
Front-runner: Luka Doncic, Mavericks
Finalists: Deandre Ayton, Suns; Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies
Barring injury, Luka Doncic already has this locked up. He keeps adding to his highlight reel of clutch moments, is producing some truly gaudy stat lines, and ranks second among Western Conference frontcourt players in fan voting for the All-Star Game. If the Mavericks continue playing close to .500, Doncic will remain in the public consciousness.
Trailing him is Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, who suffers from "if a tree falls in the forest" syndrome, plying his trade for a team with zero honest playoff aspirations. Ayton tops the rookie class in player efficiency rating (21.7) and win shares (4.3). However, Doncic beats him in box plus/minus (3.2) and value over replacement player (1.8).
Sixth Man of the Year
Front-runner: Domantas Sabonis, Pacers
Finalists: Derrick Rose, Timberwolves; Montrezl Harrell, Clippers
Domantas Sabonis' impact as the Pacers' backup big man has transformed his team. He's still scoring, averaging 15.2 points on a sublime .628 effective field goal percentage, and the 22-year-old is also adding 9.7 rebounds and three assists per game.
Voters have an opportunity to buck the long-standing trend of handing Sixth Man of the Year honors to an offensive-minded guard who produces the most points per game. A non-guard hasn't captured the award since Lamar Odom in 2010-11.
Most Improved Player
Front-runner: Pascal Siakam, Raptors
Finalists: Buddy Hield, Kings; John Collins, Hawks
This honor too often rewards scaling, mistaking increased playing time (and thus, increased statistical totals) with actual improvement. While Pascal Siakam's playing time is up nearly 50 percent after averaging 20.7 minutes per game in 2017-18, his leap forward this season isn't just rooted in workload.
The Raptors' ever-smiling human pogo stick has dramatically improved his scoring efficiency with a true shooting percentage of 64.2, up from 54.9 percent last season. He's shooting the 3-ball at a semi-respectable 33.0 percent clip and also getting to the free-throw line three times more frequently than last season. If the Raptors are given a third All-Star in addition to presumptive picks Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry, Siakam would likely get the nod.
Coach of the Year
Front-runner: Mike Malone, Nuggets
Finalists: Mike Budenholzer, Bucks; Nate McMillan, Pacers
Nikola Jokic's physique has been compared to a bag of milk. Jamal Murray's scoring efficiency has taken a small step back, and behind those two, Juan Hernangomez is playing the third-most minutes for the Nuggets so far this season.
But wait, there's more.
Gary Harris and Paul Millsap have both missed at least a quarter of the season to date. Will Barton also appeared in two games before going down with a hip injury, and two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas and ballyhooed rookie Michael Porter Jr. have yet to play.
All that makes it shocking to see Denver occupying a playoff seed. Head coach Mike Malone has his team sitting atop the ruthless Western Conference on the strength of a top-10 offense and defense, which is downright miraculous. If he can keep the Nuggets in a top-four seed the rest of the way without the wheels falling off, Malone will be the Coach of the Year.