The NBA officially announced the shortlist of major awards in the regular season, but there are still some players who have not been selected, which has caused great controversy in public opinion. The US media counted 4 missing the best award candidates, namely the league's first record sun core Booker did not qualify for the MVP candidate, the Warriors' rising star Poole did not have the fastest improvement player candidate, and Adebayo did not qualify for the best defensive player candidate, and the Pelicans coach Willie Green did not qualify for the best manager candidate.
Regular Season MVP Lost Pearl: Booker
Finalists: Jokic, Embiid, Alphabet Brother
Jokic, Embiid, and Alphabet Brother became candidates for MVP, but the absence of Booker, the core from the NBA's best team, undoubtedly caused controversy. The Phoenix Suns star, who had an amazing season in 2021, has been a major force in the team's success as he led his team to a regular season number one and his career-high scoring averages per game.
There may be a certain gap in Booker's stats compared to the crazy performances of the three finalists, but it's a bit odd that he's the best player on the NBA's best team and isn't on the MVP consideration list.
NBA's fastest-improving player: Poole
Finalists: Morant, Dejuntai-Murray, Garland
The Fastest Improving Player Trophy is probably the NBA's most controversial award, and similar debates around Morant this year are ongoing, and there's no denying that the Grizzlies star has improved a lot this year. However, many fans believe other players deserve similar treatment, such as Golden State Warriors' Poole.
Unlike Morant, Poole isn't the absolute core of the Warriors, but he has become one of the Warriors' most consistent offensive options this season. Poole's exclusion from the MIP list also made teammates such as Dream Green extremely angry.
It's not a diss for Morant; the Grizzlies star has been one of the NBA's most exciting players today. However, Morant has been quite good last season, while Poole's huge improvement this season has been overlooked.
Coach of the Year: Willie Green
Finalists: Spollstra, Monty Williams, Jenkins
This year's Coach of the Year finalist came from three teams with the best record in the NBA, and Jenkins brought the Grizzlies to the second seed in the West, playing enough to be shocking enough. Spoorstra and Monty Williams brought the Heat and Suns to zone number one, respectively.
However, there is another team that is shocking and arguably more impressive than any of these three teams. Willie Green's New Orleans Pelicans started with a 1-12 loss and still led the team to the playoffs. For any NBA team, a 1-12 start is usually a "death sentence", especially in the absence of core Zion. But the Pelicans persevered, advancing to the playoffs through the playoffs.
Willie Green's work with the Pelicans should not be overlooked, and what he has done for the team has been impressive, especially given the situation they are in.
Defensive Player of the Year: Adebayor
Finalists: Gobert, Smart, Bridges
Discussions about the Defensive Player of the Year award are starting to heat up, and despite the sheer number of NBA's elite outside defenders over the years, the award has historically been dominated by big men. The season is expected to be the start of a new era as two outside players make it to DPOY's shortlist.
Bridges and Smart are two of the NBA's best outside defenders today, and with the exception of Gobert making this year's DPOY roster, the big man clearly has one glaring omission on the roster: Adebayor.
Adebayor has quietly become one of the most talented interiors in the league and a big reason for the Heat's defensive success this year. The Miami interior cornerstone has a great performance, his defensive stats are top league, and his switching ability and basket protection should be one of the best players in the league.
(Text/Drunken Floating Life)