The 2021-22 season has come to an end, and the current situation of each team is completely different, the Phoenix Suns have a record of more than 80% so far, becoming the first team in the league to lock playoff tickets; the Nets and Lakers with the largest fan base have now entered the ranks of the playoffs, and in the face of a game-winning format, surprises and surprises cannot be predicted.
In addition to the ranking card battle between teams, the five major awards of the regular season are also about to surface, synthesizing the performance of players throughout the season, and the author ranks the current frontrunners and contenders of the five awards:
5. The fastest improving player
Front Runner: Morant (Grizzlies)
Last season stats: 19.1 points, 4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 44.9% shooting, 30.3% three-point shooting
Season stats: 27.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, shooting 49.5% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range.
Contender: Dezhangtai Murray (Spurs)
Last season stats: 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 45.3% shooting, 31.7% three-point shooting
Season stats: 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 46.6% from the field and 31.5% from three-point range
In the 1985–86 season, the league established the Fastest Improving Player Award to ensure that players remain aggressive throughout the long season, and a player who improved in a single season would obviously be selected as a candidate, and the Spurs' Elvin Robertson became the first winner of this award. In the past ten seasons, Lefour, Butler, Alphabet Brother, and Paul George have all won awards, which is enough to illustrate the gold content of this award.
This season's Grizzlies youngster Morant's emergence has made the attribution of the fastest improving players no suspense, from the personal point of view, Morante's average score per game increased by 8.4 points, in the case of a substantial increase in shots, the shooting rate rose to nearly 50%, very ornamental and practical play made him the first time in his career to be selected as an All-Star, and defeated Doncic and Paul to be elected to the starting lineup.
In terms of team results, the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs and Warriors in the playoffs last season, received the last playoff ticket, and finally lost 1-4 against the Jazz team with the highest regular season record. So far this season, the Grizzlies have finished second in the league and have grown from a playoff marginal team to a "wild" Western Conference powerhouse, and the biggest credit is the team's new leader Morant.
Although the award is not very suspenseful, Spurs youngster Dejuntai Murray has played commendably this season, and the team sent veterans such as Aldridge, DeRozan and Mills last summer to officially announce the rebuilding, and the core of the reconstruction is the 1.93m tall, 2.11m arm span, with the top static talent of the league's backcourt players.
Murray's growth this season is mainly focused on the organizational end and the defensive end, as a tall organizational point guard, Murray's control of the rhythm of the field has slowly approached the star level, currently averaging 9.4 assists per game second only to Chris Paul and Harden; on the defensive end, relying on the innate advantage of arm span, it can easily defend the No. 1 to No. 3 players, contributing 2.1 steals per game to rank first in the league.
At present, the shortcomings of the youngster are also very obvious, compared to Morant, Murray lacks independent scoring means, the outside projection is also relatively bad, unable to change the opponent's defensive layout through organization and defense, and wants to grow into the leader of a team, Dezhangtai Murray still has a long way to go.
4. Best Rookie Player
Front Runner: Mobley (Cavaliers)
Season stats: 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 50% shooting percentage, 67.3% from the free throws
Challenger: Scotty Barnes (Raptors)
Season stats: 15 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 49 percent shooting, 30.6 percent three-point range
In last year's draft, the draft template for Doncic's Cunningham, was decisively won by the Detroit Pistons with a champion, so far this season, with sufficient shooting rights, averaging 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, shooting only 40.4%, the team's record is firmly at the bottom of the East, the draft before the draft was exaggerated by the scouts, the performance in the NBA has no highlights.
The Houston Rockets, who had the picks, chose between Mobley and Jaylen Green on the grounds that Green's excellent physical abilities had greater potential and were better suited to be the core of a team. But the reality is that Jaylen Green is not cultivated as the core of a rebuilt team, averaging 15.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 40.9% from the field, and no leadership temperament is more like a "data brush".
With the reflection of the two talented players in front of him, Mobley, as a flower detective show, has conquered the discerning home fans by relying only on the basic skills of simplicity and unpretentiousness. In the Cleveland Cavaliers with Aaron, Marl Canin and Lefour, The 2.11-meter-tall Mobley is a bit like a weakened version of Tim Duncan, with strong finishing ability under the basket, while the soft feel can complete the shot in the middle distance.
Compared with the unpretentious offensive technique, Mobley's core chip in the competition for the best rookie is his contribution on the defensive end, excellent lateral speed and sense of defense, so that his defensive efficiency on the field is as high as 105.3, ranking 35th in the league. His "no-fly zone combination" with Allen helped the Cavaliers concede just 103.5 points per game, a figure that ranks first in the league.
In last year's draft, Barnes, who was 2.01 meters tall and had an arm span of 2.08 meters, played as a small forward, was selected by the Raptors with the fourth pick in the first round, and because of Lowry's departure, the Raptors management was also forced to embark on the road to reconstruction. In this environment, Barnes, like Yuanyuan and Tanhua, got plenty of playing time and shooting opportunities.
As the team's fifth scorer, Barnes' role on the court is very clear, that is, the blue-collar striker carrying the explosive package, this seemingly single style of play, but because of Barnes's strong physical fitness to achieve high offensive efficiency. The attitude of fighting for every goal on the field has won the trust of head coach Nas, and in order to stabilize his position in the team, Barnes needs to strengthen his independent scoring methods.
3. The best sixth person in the team
Front-runner: Taylor Hiro (Heat)
Season stats: 20.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 44% shooting, 38.4% three-point shooting
Contender: Kelly Oubre (Hornet)
Season stats: 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists, shooting 43.7% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range.
In an NBA game that lasts more than two hours, there are two modes of competition, one is a fixed starting lineup strength comparison, and the other is the bench lineup of the main players after rest. The sixth person of the team is the core of the substitute lineup, and this type of player has a relatively single role on the field, generally based on offense, such as Clarkson, Lou Wei, and Harrell, who have won awards in recent years, are all players of this type.
Throughout the past ten seasons, the winners of this award, except for Harden, who has become a star, the rest of the players are the main supporting roles in their respective teams, and this award has gradually been called "the honor certificate that it is impossible to become a star" by fans. In the NBA league, ordinary players must accept their ordinariness if they want to survive, and this award is more like the highest honor that ordinary people can get.
Last summer, the Heat, who held the title of runner-up in the 19-20 season, were swept by the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, in order to return to the championship ranks, the team signed veteran Lowry with three years of 85 million, in order to balance the team lineup, the youngster Hiro, known as the "future star", was placed on the bench, the player who entered the league with the 13th point, after a hard work last summer began to show strength.
As one of the few teams in the league with defense as the core, the Heat's starting lineup: Lowry + Robinson + Tucker + Butler + Adebayor, is obviously weak and defensive, such a unreasonable combination allows Hiro to have unlimited firing rights in the bench lineup, averaging 17.4 shots per game to beat Butler and Adebayor to the first place in the team, which is enough to prove the position of the youngster in the heart of head coach Spoostra.
So far this season, Hiro has scored 30+ points as a substitute seven times, becoming the first person in the history of the Heat, the 22-year-old has developed skills such as singles with the ball, three points, big heart at key moments, and the Heat are also relying on his firepower output on the bench, the team record is better than the Bucks and 76ers, and is currently ranked first in the East.
Regarding Oubre, I believe that Warriors fans remember him very fondly, and it was because of his and Wiseman's various plays on the offensive end last season that forced the scoring champion Curry. As an offensive small forward, Oubre's rampage style of play could not be integrated into the Warriors system, and the two sides chose to break up peacefully at the end of the season, and Oubre joined the Charlotte Hornets for $25 million in two years.
Coming to a young team, Oubre was placed in the sixth man position of the team, and without the shackles of the defensive end and having to integrate into the system, Oubre began to improve his efficiency on the offensive end, especially against the Pacers, when he shot ten three-pointers and scored 39 points to set a single-game scoring record for a Hornets bench player. But the gap between personal data and the team's record prevented Oubre from competing with Giro for the best sixth man award.
2. Best Defensive Player
Front-runner: Gobert (Jazz)
Season stats: 15.5 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 71.3 percent shooting, 68.2 percent from free throws
Contender: Jaren Jackson (Grizzlies)
Season stats: 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 41.6 percent shooting, 31.1 percent three-point range
In the current era of small ball advocating offense, the low-ornamental defense is ignored by fans, such as the all-Star Western Conference center player voting results, and the votes of Jokic and Towns, who are more beautiful, are several times higher than Gobert, and the gap is very obvious.
Since the All-Star bench was decided by 30 team coaches, Gobert and Downs were selected first, and in front of professional basketball coaches, Gobert was worth more on the court than Towns, which was the opposite of the fan vote.
In December 2020, the Utah Jazz renewed the team's center Gobert for five years, $205 million, which must have caused a lot of debate among fans, but a defensive center was given a contract with an average annual salary of more than $40 million, which seemed out of place in the small-ball era. In the eyes of Jazz coach Snyder, Gobert is the core of the "one-star" system, and his role on the court is even better than Mitchell.
So far this season, the Jazz record is still firmly in the fourth place in the West, the team's defensive gate Gobert averaged 14.7 rebounds per game to lead the league, averaging 2.2 blocks per game tied for the league first; under his 2.35-meter arm span, so that opponents can only grab 41.8 rebounds per game, this data is second in the league, good team records and personal play, Gobert is infinitely close to his fourth best defensive player trophy.
Last summer, the Grizzlies sent their main big center, Valanciunas, to the Pelicans, replaced them with blue-collar center Adams, and then renewed Jaren Jackson Jr.'s contract for $105 million for four years, officially establishing him and Morant as the core of the interior and exterior.
Unlike Gobert, Jaren Jackson belongs to the center of the small-ball era, with a height of 2.11 meters, combined with a 2.27 meters arm span, giving him an advantage in the interior defense, and the soft shooting feel allows him to pose a threat outside the three-point line, creating room for Morant to break through.
As the team's starting number four, Jaren Jackson's specialty on the defensive end is not rebounding competition, but just right to make up for the defense, which is the main reason why he has contributed 2.2 blocks per game. A small throw on the offensive end can score, the defensive end has a prominent sense of internal defense, and the Grizzlies can achieve the second record in the league, and Jackson's role is indispensable.
1. Regular season MVP
Front-runner: Embiid (76ers)
Season stats: 29.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 49.2 percent shooting, 35.1 percent three-point range
Contender: Jokic (Nuggets)
Season stats: 26.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists, shooting 57.4% from the field and 36% from three-point range.
In last season's regular season's Best Player of the Regular Season, Curry was successfully selected for the award with his late-season performance against the sky, but the 39-33 record of the entire season made him miss the MVP final award this season.
Regarding Jokic and Embiid's regular-season MVP battle, although the 76ers record is 49 wins and 23 losses in the East, Embiid has missed 21 games throughout the season, while Jokic's statistics are more comprehensive, and the full attendance of the whole season has allowed him to win the award.
Combined with the performance of the stars of each team this season, the most valuable players in the regular season will most likely be decided among the four people of Jokic, Embiid, Alphabet Brother and Doncic, no matter who the award will be spent, just look at the league's strongest four-man team members, the NBA belongs to the era of international players has arrived, and the advantages of personal skills and ball quotients are greater than the potential of pure physical talent.
Embiid has missed 12 regular season games so far this season, and if he can maintain full attendance in subsequent games, the 85.4% attendance rate will not allow him to deduct too many points on the judges' votes, after all, there are many stars who have been suspended this season due to the new crown epidemic. In terms of personal performance, Embiid is the strongest ruler in the league, scoring 11.7 free throws per game, more than the "Greek Monster" alphabet brother.
With Harden's arrival, Embiid became more efficient on the scoring end, and the team's record also came to third place in the East, just 2.5 wins away from the Heat in the East, and had every chance to complete the rebound at the end of the regular season. With a third-place record in the East, combined with an average of 30+12 per game, Embiid's probability of winning this season will skyrocket, and the player, who was only a teenager in basketball, showed fans what talent is.
The probability of the other three stars winning is not low, especially Jokic, this season in the three statistics of scoring, rebounding and assists, ranked in the league's top ten, when the team's core players Murray and Porter Jr. were injured, he almost single-handedly maintained the team's winning rate at more than 60%, while the player efficiency value ranked first in the league.