Category: NBA

*These are all my predictions, all stats via basketball-reference.com*

NBA All-Defensive Team

G: Chris Paul – Clippers
G: Tony Allen – Grizzles
F: Kawhi Leonard – Spurs
F: Draymond Green – Warriors
C: Rudy Gobert – Jazz

NBA All-Rookie Team

*The All-Rookie teams do not have positional requirements*

Malcolm Brogdon, G – Bucks
Dario Saric, F – 76ers
Joel Embiid, C – 76ers
Buddy Hield, G – Kings
Willy Hernangomez, C – Knicks

NBA All-Rookie Second Team

Jamal Murray, G – Nuggets
Jaylen Brown, F – Celtics
Rodney McGruder, G – Heat
Marquese Chriss, F – Suns
Yogi Ferrell, G – Mavericks

Executive of the Year

Daryl Morey – Rockets

All-NBA First Team

G: Russell Westbrook, Thunder
G: James Harden, Rockets
F: Kawhi Leonard, Spurs
F: LeBron James, Cavaliers
C: Rudy Gobert, Jazz

Westbrook, Harden, Leonard, and Lebron James have clearly been the four best players in the league this season. Westbrook averaged a triple-double, and Harden was a couple rebounds away from doing the same thing as a shooting guard. Kawhi Leonard is arguably the best two-way player in the league, and Lebron James, well, he’s still Lebron James, and will make his tenth All-NBA team in a row. The part where this gets interesting is the debate is at the center position. It comes down to a choice between Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis. While he did play mainly power forward after the DeMarcus Cousins trade, I do still consider Ant a Center, but despite that, he still doesn’t get the nod for the best in the league. That honor goes to Rudy Gobert, maybe the most underappreciated player in the league, who brought the Jazz to the conference semis. Not only is Gobert one of the best defensive players in the league, he is one of the best overall players in the league. This year, Gobert had a win share of 14.3. Win Share is a stat that determines how many wins a player was responsible for. To compare, Russell Westbrook had 13.1 wins, Lebron James had 12.9 wins, and Anthony Davis? He was responsible for 11 wins.

All-NBA Second Team

G: Steph Curry – Warriors
G: Isaiah Thomas – Celtics
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo – Bucks
F: Jimmy Butler – Bulls
C: Anthony Davis – Pelicans

Steph Curry made the second-most three pointers in a season EVER and he might not get a single vote for first-team, which show you how good the guards are in today’s NBA. Giannis also made history by being the first player to ever break the top-twenty in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single season. Anthony Davis is a no-brainer if he misses the first team, The Brow led the league in points per game among power forwards and centers. Isaiah Thomas stole the second guard spot from John Wall during the Celtics’ push for the #1 seed. The last Forward spot gave me the most trouble, but the combination of Kevin Durant’s injury, and that Jimmy Butler had a far less superior team around him gave the slight edge to Butler.

All-NBA Third Team

G: John Wall – Wizards
G: Chris Paul – Clippers
F: Kevin Durant – Warriors
F: Draymond Green – Warriors
C: Karl-Anthony Towns – Timberwolves

Wall and Durant are both shoe-ins, so we’ll get them out of the way. The other guard spot goes to Chris Paul, who although missing some games, still but up crazy numbers and finished top-five in steals and assists. The second Forward spot was also tough, with Draymond Green, Paul George, and Gordon Hayward battling it out. I gave the nod to Draymond because he is the superior defensive player of the three, and while his offensive numbers don’t compare to the other two, he had Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson, three of the best scorers in the league on the same team as him, and had he been on the Pacers, he probably would have put up similar numbers. The last spot, Center, might be the toughest of them all; Brook Lopez, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, and Hassan Whiteside all have cases to make, but for me, it comes down to Nikole Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns’ defense didn’t live up to expectations, but his incredible scoring numbers (2,061 to Jokic’s 1,221) tip the scales just enough to cancel that out. Jokic will be a First-Team caliber player in a few years, but he just didn’t play enough minutes to make it this year.

Most Improved Player

Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo, F – Bucks 
#2: Rudy Gobert, C – Jazz
#3: Isaiah Thomas, G – Celtics

Giannis is a no-brainer for this award. He went from rising star to starting for the Eastern Conference All-Stars in one year. He improved across the board, PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG, FG%, 3-PT%, and pretty much any other category that you can think of. In a normal year, this would be a crowded race with a bunch of interesting candidates, but Giannis isn’t normal.

Defensive Player of the Year

Winner: Draymond Green, F – Warriors
#2: Rudy Gobert, C – Jazz
#3: Kawhi Leonard, F – Spurs

This was the hardest award for my to decide on, including MVP. Rudy Gobert leads the league in defensive +/-, and is without a doubt the best rim protector in the league, advanced stats say that, but I have to give the slight edge to Draymond Green. Green is the most versatile defender in basketball, he was a rim protector at times, and he guarded James Harden. Part of this might be “he deserves it” mentality after seeing Green fall votes shy of winning this award twice in a row, but he deserves it.

Sixth Man of the Year

Winner: Andre Iguodala, F – Warriors
#2: Eric Gordon, G – Rockets
#3: Greg Monroe, C – Bucks

Andre Iguodala gets the nod as the best sixth-man in the game. While Iggy’s numbers (8 PPG) don’t seem to stack up to those of Gordon, he was the better two-way player, and the better player from an efficiency perspective. He led all reserves among win shares, and while he didn’t shoot much, when he did it went in, finishing with a true shooting % of over 62%, well outpacing Gordon. Lou Williams (17 PPG) probably would’ve been second, moving Gordon (16 PPG) down to third, but the Lakers traded Williams away at the deadline, and Williams fell into a seventh-man role behind Gordon.

Rookie of the Year

Winner: Malcolm Brogdon, G – Bucks
#2: Dario Saric, F – 76ers
#3: Willy Hernangomez, C – Knicks

The fact that anybody could vote for Joel Embiid to win this award is just laughable. It’s the Rookie of the YEAR award, not the Rookie of the 38% of the year award. Embiid played in under 20% of the Sixers minutes this season. We penalize Dario Saric for a bad first half of the year, that’s generally agreed upon, he had a rough first half, and then was the best rookie in the second half, but Brogdon was better overall. How does that not also apply to Joel Embiid? For all we know, Embiid could have had a Saric-esque second half of the year. Now yes, anybody with half a brain knows that Embiid will probably go on to be the best player of the three, but you can’t give someone a … of the YEAR award when they miss over half the year. Malcolm Brogdon led all rookies, INCLUDING EMBIID in win shares, and he gets my nod as the rightful rookie of the year.

Coach of the Year

Winner: Mike D’Antoni – Rockets
#2: Gregg Popovich – Spurs

Mike D’Antoni took an average team and brought them to a season in which they were favored in the playoffs. James Harden played well and D’Antoni brought in a solid bench to go along with him. Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest coaches of all time, and he did it again without Tim Duncan, but lets let someone else win for once, eh?

Most Valuable Player

Winner: James Harden, G – Rockets
#2: Kawhi Leonard, F – Spurs
#3: Russell Westbrook, G – Thunder
#4: LeBron James, F – Cavaliers
#5: Rudy Gobert, C – Jazz

Kawhi Leonard is the best two-way player in the league, Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double, but James Harden is the Most Valuable Player in the league. The Rockets win the trio of Executive of the Year, Coach of the Year, and (in essence) Player of the Year. Houston came into the year expected to have a losing record by Vegas, and under Harden’s leadership, he led the Rockets to the #3 seed in the Western Conference. Harden dished out twelve assists playing as a mix between a 1 and a 2 guard, and he led the NBA in win shares at 15. He is the Most Valuable Player.

Some say that Russell Westbrook put up the best statline in the history of the NBA, but I don’t even have him at #2. That goes to Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is commonly referred to as the “best two-way player in the league,” given that basketball is a two-way sport, doesn’t that make him the best player? Right now I would put “The Claw” behind only LeBron, who comes in at #4 because this isn’t the best player award, it’s the Most Valuable Player, and Kyrie Irving is also on the Cavaliers. You go into an alternate timeline and take Russell Westbrook off the Thunder or LeBron off the Cavs, those teams may drop ten more games, but you take away Kawhi Leonard or James Harden, you are looking at an entirely different season for those teams.

1.  – Philadelphia 76ers (from Celtics via Nets)

The Pick: Markelle Fultz, PG – Washington

With a lineup already including Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, adding Markelle Fultz provides the star in the backcourt the Philly needed. The Sixers made a great move by trading up to the top pick, and with the addition of Fultz, Philly should contend for a playoff spot next year.

2.  – Los Angeles Lakers

The Pick: Lonzo Ball, PG – UCLA

Lonzo Ball has been destined for Los Angeles for a while now, and even if you thought the Lakers might want to trade down, the fact that they traded away star point guard D’Angelo Russell makes it pretty clear to me that Ball is their choice at #2.

3.  – Boston Celtics (from 76ers via Kings)

The Pick: Jayson Tatum, SF – Duke

This will either be Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum. I personally favor Jackson, but given the Celtics haven’t worked him out, it seems that Tatum would be more likely, and he is a good fit with the high-tempo play style of the Celtics.

4.  – Phoenix Suns

The Pick: Josh Jackson, SF – Kansas

Jackson isn’t the best shooter in the draft, but he can play defense well and is great around the rim. For someone as tall as him, he can shoot the three-ball well, and he is explosive to the rim, which the Suns will like. He has the size to shift down to power forward, and might be the best rebounder in the draft.

5.  – Sacramento Kings (From 76ers)

The Pick: De’Aarron Fox, PG – Kentucky

Much like Ball and L.A. De’Aaron Fox, we’ve been expecting Sacremento to take Fox at #5 for a while now. There were rumblings of the Kings trading up to #2 to take Lonzo Ball, but it seems those talks never came to fruition, and the Kings seemed pose to pick the point guard that beat Ball in the NCAA Tournament, De’Aaron Fox.

6.  – Orlando Magic

The Pick: Jonathan Issac, F – Florida State

I saw Issac play live three times this season. He doesn’t put up great scoring numbers, but watching him play live, you can see the impact he had on that FSU offense. He was their anchor in the paint, and having him down there forced defenses to ease up on the perimeter and scorers like Dwayne Bacon, not to mention the incredible numbers he put up on the boards.

7.  – Minnesota Timberwolves

The Pick: Lauri Markkanen, PF – Arizona

This seems like a likely opportunity for a trade, as the T-Wolves need a point guard, unless Fox falls to 7, I highly doubt they make this pick, but if Fox is gone and they don’t trade, Markkanen is the man. He is a freak of nature, a 7 foot big that can shoot over 42% from three is practically unheard of, can you imagine him and KAT down low?

8.  – New York Knicks

The Pick: Dennis Smith Jr., PG – North Carolina State

With the question mark regarding the future of Kristaps Prozingis in New York, I would bet if Markkanen is still available the Knicks would take him. If not, a point guard should be the move, given Derrick Rose seems doubtful to return in 2017. I lean Smith over Frank Ntilikina because he played against higher competition in the ACC.

9.  – Dallas Mavericks

The Pick: Frank Ntilikina, PG – France

Malik Monk should be the pick here, but the Mavs really need a point guard, and while he is very young, Ntilikina’s defense has said to have been praised by top scouts, and his playmaking abilities are off the charts. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft, but it’s worth taking that risk.

10.  – Sacramento Kings (from Pelicans)

The Pick: Malik Monk, SG – Kentucky

It might be the best for the Kings to go big here, especially if they go guard at #5, but if Malik Monk is still available here, you need to jump on him. Monk is an electric scorer, and he could go top-5. The Kings need scoring badly, and Monk provides that.

11. Charlotte Hornets

The Pick: Donovan Mitchell, SG – Louisville

12. Detroit Pistons

The Pick: Luke Kennard, SG – Duke

13. Denver Nuggets

The Pick: John Collins, PF – Wake Forest

14. Miami Heat

The Pick: OG Anuoby, F – Indiana

15. Portland Trail Blazers

The Pick: Zach Collins, C – Gonzaga

16. Chicago Bulls

The Pick: Justin Jackson, SF – North Carolina

17. Milwaukee Bucks

The Pick: Justin Patton, C – Creighton

18. Indiana Pacers

The Pick: Harry Giles, C – Duke

19. Atlanta Hawks

The Pick: Jarrett Allen, C – Texas

20. Portland Trail Blazers (From Grizzles)

The Pick: TJ Leaf, PF – UCLA

21. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Pick: Terrance Ferguson, SG/SF – Austalia

22. Brooklyn Nets (From Wizzards)

The Pick: Bam Adebayo, C – Kentucky

23. Toronto Raptors (From Clippers)

The Pick: Tyler Lydon, F – Syracuse

24. Utah Jazz

The Pick: Ivan Rabb, PF/C – Cal

25. Orlando Magic (From Raptors)

The Pick: Ike Anigbogu, C – UCLA

26. Portland Trail Blazers (From Cavaliers)

The Pick: DJ Wilson, PF – Michigan

27. Los Angeles Lakers (From Nets via Celtics)

The Pick: Anzejs Pasecniks, C – Spain

28. Los Angeles Lakers (From Rockets)

The Pick: Caleb Swanigan, PF/C – Purdue

29. San Antonio Spurs

The Pick: Semi Ojeleye, F – SMU

30. Utah Jazz (From Warriors)

The Pick: Derrick White, G – Colorado

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Cavaliers over (8) Wizards

(5) Hornets over (4) Pistons

(3) Celtics over (6) Bulls

(2) Raptors over (7) Hawks

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(1) Cavaliers over (5) Hornets

(2) Raptors over (3) Celtics

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Cavaliers over (2) Raptors

Western Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Warriors over (8) Timberwolves

(5) Thunder over (4) Jazz

(3) Clippers over (6) Trail Blazers

(2) Spurs over (7) Rockets

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) Warriors over (5) Thunder

(2) Spurs over (3) Clippers

Western Conference Finals

(1) Warriors over (2) Spurs

NBA Finals

(1) Warriors over (1) Cavaliers

 

Most Valuable Player

1. Lebron James, Cavaliers
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder
3. James Harden, Rockets

Most Improved Player

1. D’Angelo Russell, Lakers
2. Devin Booker, Suns
3. Harrison Barnes, Mavericks

Rookie of the Year

1. Joel Embiid, 76ers
2. Kris Dunn, Timberwolves
3. Dario Saric, 76ers

Sixth Man of the Year

1. Brandon Knight, Suns
2. Enes Kanter, Thunder
3. Andre Iguodala, Warriors

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Rudy Gobert, Jazz
2. Draymond Green, Warriors
3. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs

Coach of the Year

1. Brad Stevens, Celtics
2. Quin Snyder, Jazz
3. Tom Thibodeau, Timberwolves

EAST

1.Cavaliers – Projected Record: 56-26

2.Raptors – Projected Record: 50-32

3. Celtics – Projected Record: 49-33

4. Pistons – Projected Record: 44-38

5.Hornets – Projected Record: 43-39

6. Bulls – Projected Record: 41-41

7. Hawks – Projected Record: 41-41

8. Wizards – Projected Record: 40-42

9. Pacers – Projected Record: 40-42

10. Magic – Projected Record: 37-45

11. Knicks – Projected Record: 37-45

12.Heat – Projected Record: 35-47

13.Bucks – Projected Record: 35-47

14. 76ers – Projected Record: 25-57

15. Nets – Projected Record: 23-59

WEST

1.Warriors – Projected Record: 67-15

2. Spurs – Projected Record: 54-28

3. Clippers – Projected Record: 49-33

4. Jazz – Projected Record: 48-34

5. Thunder – Projected Record: 47-35

6. Trail Blazers – Projected Record: 46-36

7. Rockets – Projected Record: 44-38

8. Timberwolves – Projected Record: 41-41

9. Nuggets – Projected Record: 39-43

10. Grizzlies – Projected Record: 39-43

11. Mavericks – Projected Record: 37-45

12. Pelicans – Projected Record: 36-46

13.Kings – Projected Record: 34-48

14. Suns – Projected Record: 29-43

15. Lakers – Projected Record: 25-57

2016 First-Round Order

1. Philadelphia 76ers
The Pick: Ben Simmons, SF LSU
2. Los Angeles Lakers
The Pick: Brandon Ingram, SF Duke
3. Boston Celtics (From Brooklyn)
The Pick: Dragan Bender, PF Israel
4. Phoenix Suns
The Pick: Kris Dunn, PG Providence
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Pick: Jaylen Brown, SG California
6. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pick: Jamal Murray, SG Kentucky
7. Denver Nuggets (From New York)
The Pick: Buddy Hield, SG Oklahoma
8. Sacramento Kings
The Pick: Deyonta Davis, PF Michigan State
9. Toronto Raptors (From Denver via New York)
The Pick: Jakob Poeltl, PF Utah
10. Milwaukee Bucks
The Pick: Skal Labissiere, PF Kentucky
11. Orlando Magic
The Pick: Domantas Sabonis, PF Gonzaga
12. Utah Jazz
The Pick: Marquese Chriss, PF Washington
13. Phoenix Suns (From Washington)
The Pick: Henry Ellenson, PF/C Marquette
14. Chicago Bulls
The Pick: Timothe Luwawu, SG France
15. Denver Nuggets (From Houston)
The Pick: DeAndre’ Bembry, SF Saint Joseph’s
16. Boston Celtics (From Dallas)
The Pick: Ante Zizic, C Croatia
17. Memphis Grizzlies
The Pick: Wane Baldwin IV, SG Vanderbilt
18. Detroit Pistons
The Pick: Tyler Ulis, PG Kentucky
19. Denver Nuggets(From Portland)
The Pick: Brice Johnson, PF North Carolina
20. Indiana Pacers
The Pick: Ivica Zubac, C Croatia
21. Atlanta Hawks
The Pick: Paul Zipser, SF Germany
22. Charlotte Hornets
The Pick: Denzel Valentine, SG Michigan State
23. Boston Celtics
The Pick: Malik Beasley, SG Florida State
24. Philadelphia 76ers(From Miami via Cleveland)
The Pick: Furkan Korkmaz, SG Turkey
25. Los Angeles Clippers
The Pick: Taurean Prince, SF Baylor
26. Philadelphia 76ers (From Oklahoma City via Denver and Cleveland)
The Pick: Demetrius Jackson, PG Notre Dame
27. Toronto Raptors
The Pick: Malcolm Brogdon, SG Virginia
28. Phoenix Suns (From Cleveland via Boston)
The Pick: Rade Zagorac, SF Serbia
29. San Antonio Spurs
The Pick: Juan Hernangomez, PF Spain
30. Golden State Warriors

The Pick: Chelck Diallo, C Kansas

In this part of my NBA Awards Predictions I will go over all the individual awards, part 2 will be my All-NBA, All-Defensive, and All-Rookie Teams

Coach of the Year

#2: Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics

#1: Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers

Defensive Player of the Year

#2: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

#1: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Most Improved Player

#2: Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics

#1: C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

Most Valuable Player

#3: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

#2: Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

#1: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Rookie of the Year

#2: Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks

#1: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

Sixth Man of the Year

#2: Jeremy Lin, Charlotte Hornets

#1: Will Barton, Denver Nuggets

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Cavaliers over (8) Pistons

(5) Celtics over (4) Hawks

(3) Heat over (6) Hornets

(2) Raptors over (7) Pacers

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(1) Cavaliers over (5) Celtics

(3) Heat over (2) Raptors

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Cavaliers over (3) Heat

Western Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Warriors over (8) Rockets

(4) Clippers over (5) Trail Blazers

(3) Thunder over (4) Mavericks

(2) Spurs over (7) Grizzles

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) Warriors over (4) Clippers

(2) Spurs over (3) Thunder

Western Conference Finals

(1) Warriors over (2) Spurs

NBA Finals

(1) Warriors over (1) Cavaliers

Heat at Celtics

The Pick: Celtics

Raptors at Nets

The Pick: Raptors

Magic at Hornets

The Pick: Hornets

Pistons at Cavaliers

The Pick: Cavaliers

Hawks at Wizards

The Pick: Hawks

76ers at Bulls

The Pick: Bulls

Spurs at Mavericks

The Pick: Mavericks

Kings at Rockets

The Pick: Rockets

Pacers at Bucks

The Pick: Pacers

Pelicans at Timberwolves

The Pick: Timberwolves

Grizzlies at Warriors

The Pick: Warriors

Jazz at Lakers

The Pick: Jazz

Clippers at Suns

The Pick: Suns

Nuggets at Trail Blazers

The Pick: Trail Blazers