Award ballots for the 2020-21 NBA season are due in one week. Some categories have a clear winner. Last week, I detailed Nikola Jokic’s MVP case and, as we’ll get into soon, I also believe Rudy Gobert is the pick for Defensive Player of the Year. Sixers fans, don’t worry, you’ll be cheered up by multiple All-Defensive team selections. But there are a lot of candidates—seemingly more than usual—for every honor this season. One thing is for sure: there will be a ton of snubs.
I’d imagine there will be anger from fans once ballots are published and winners are announced in the coming months. As I researched my ballot, I became increasingly frustrated too. There are some super talented players having great seasons that will be left empty handed. It sucks. But a large number of snubs is the by-product of a league flooded with talent. It’s a good problem for the league and fans to have. But maybe not for players or teams. Maximum contract extensions are tied to awards for some players who could meet the supermax criteria. This year, Jayson Tatum could lose $32 million because his contract extension value is determined by his All-NBA status. The same goes for Bam Adebayo and Donovan Mitchell. Some or all of them will miss out.
Stats won’t change much over the final week. Neither will the standings. But with some races being so tight, the final few games could clarify some choices. Here’s my ballot as of now plus my thought process behind some of the more difficult decisions:
Most Valuable Player1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Steph Curry
5. Luka Doncic
Jokic is the favorite, and rightfully so. He had one of the greatest offensive seasons in the history of basketball. Not only has he turned into an unstoppable scorer, but Jokic has thrown more passes than anyone else in the league, and set more screens than all but 10 players, according to Second Spectrum. He’s both a point guard and a center on offense, but his role is clear as an interior player on defense. Jokic has defended more pick-and-rolls than any other player because teams challenge him to try to wear him out. He’s not blocking shots or switching on to guards. But he’s always in the right position, making hustle plays, getting his hands in passing lanes, communicating, and inhaling rebounds. Jokic got himself in the best condition of his life and has made himself into a good defender.
Only one All-Star has played in every game this season. It’s Jokic, which just bolsters his case during a season ravaged by absences due to injuries, the health and safety protocols, and a truncated schedule that caused teams to rest their stars. Players who stayed healthy like Jokic naturally provided more to their teams and deserve an edge. Durability should be considered by voters, and Jokic would have still been in the running had other candidates who missed time stayed healthy, such as Embiid, James Harden, and LeBron James.
Embiid’s injury diminished his chances of winning MVP, but his second-place finish serves to emphasize the value of bigs in the league today. For a while, people thought bigs were a dying breed, but Embiid’s rookie season five years ago hinted that a rise like this was possible. It’s a testament to the Sixers center’s work ethic that he’s actually reached this level, though. Embiid added layer after layer to his game, adding post moves, improving as a passer, extending his range, and mastering the intricacies of the paint. As long as Embiid can stay healthy he should only keep getting better, and maybe someday he will win his first MVP.
Giannis is averaging nearly 30 points and six assists while dominating on defense for a third straight season. Did you see him block Kevin Durant? It was genuinely stunning. The fact he’s won back-to-back MVPs shouldn’t be a factor in any voter’s decision for this season. But he’s fallen down my MVP rankings slightly because his defense has slipped from his Defensive Player of the Year campaign last year, though he’s still an All-Defensive team player. Jokic’s heightened offensive impact just gives him an edge on my ballot.
Steph remains as special as ever. It’s an easy choice to have him in the top five. Fourth feels low considering the Warriors would be in the dumpster without him. But the players above him make a more significant impact defensively, and a team’s place in the standings has to count at least a little bit.
Doncic gets the fifth spot for now because of his elite production with a massive offensive workload, and the fact he’s better defensively than he ever was before. But there’s serious arguments to be made for Chris Paul, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, and others for this spot. Paul might end up getting the nod on my ballot, and we’ll get into him more in the All-NBA section, which is a doozy to figure out this season. Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved, however, weren’t all that difficult.
Defensive Player of the Year1. Rudy Gobert
2. Ben Simmons
3. Bam Adebayo
In the same way Jokic is Denver’s offense, Gobert is Utah’s defense. The two-time DPOY winner literally deters players from even entering the paint.
He has a 7-foot-9 wingspan. He’s 258 pounds. He reads the floor like he has 360 vision. The strength of the Jazz defense is guarding the pick-and-roll, which he thrives in with his blend of elite traits and skills. When Gobert defends a screen in the pick-and-roll, Utah allows only 0.85 points per chance, which leads the 101 players to log at least 400 plays. Since he’s so dominant inside, Utah’s other defenders are able to stay home on their assignments instead of helping to prevent a drive into the paint.
The difference between Gobert and Simmons is that Gobert defines how the West-leading Jazz operate, while Simmons is one of several major parts that power the East-leading Sixers. In reality, what Gobert and Embiid do on defense is far more comparable than Simmons. But generally, rim protectors have a greater impact on how a defense operates. It’s one of the reasons Gobert gets an edge over Simmons on my ballot, and had Embiid not missed so many games he would have drawn consideration too.
Simmons is the best at what he does, serving as an on-ball stopper against the league’s best scorers and an active off-ball nuisance who fully belongs in the conversation for this award. The energy he brings on defense is contagious. When he’s on, it lights a fire in his team. Simmons was once an apathetic defender at LSU and he’s turned himself into one of the league’s best. We’ll touch more on him later.
Adebayo isn’t the league’s best defender, but he might be the league’s most well-rounded. This season, he’s defended pick-and-rolls and switched 490 times compared to 399 instances of dropping into the paint, according to Second Spectrum. That makes him the only defender to log over 300 plays both switching and dropping. The Heat rightfully trust him in either role because he can lock down smaller, quicker players on the perimeter, and serve as an impactful rim protector.
Award ballots for the 2020-21 NBA season are due in one week. Some categories have a clear winner. Last week, I detailed Nikola Jokic’s MVP case and, as we’ll get into soon, I also believe Rudy Gobert is the pick for Defensive Player of the Year. Sixers fans, don’t worry, you’ll be cheered up by multiple All-Defensive team selections. But there are a lot of candidates—seemingly more than usual—for every honor this season. One thing is for sure: there will be a ton of snubs.
I’d imagine there will be anger from fans once ballots are published and winners are announced in the coming months. As I researched my ballot, I became increasingly frustrated too. There are some super talented players having great seasons that will be left empty handed. It sucks. But a large number of snubs is the by-product of a league flooded with talent. It’s a good problem for the league and fans to have. But maybe not for players or teams. Maximum contract extensions are tied to awards for some players who could meet the supermax criteria. This year, Jayson Tatum could lose $32 million because his contract extension value is determined by his All-NBA status. The same goes for Bam Adebayo and Donovan Mitchell. Some or all of them will miss out.
Stats won’t change much over the final week. Neither will the standings. But with some races being so tight, the final few games could clarify some choices. Here’s my ballot as of now plus my thought process behind some of the more difficult decisions:
Most Valuable Player1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Steph Curry
5. Luka Doncic
Jokic is the favorite, and rightfully so. He had one of the greatest offensive seasons in the history of basketball. Not only has he turned into an unstoppable scorer, but Jokic has thrown more passes than anyone else in the league, and set more screens than all but 10 players, according to Second Spectrum. He’s both a point guard and a center on offense, but his role is clear as an interior player on defense. Jokic has defended more pick-and-rolls than any other player because teams challenge him to try to wear him out. He’s not blocking shots or switching on to guards. But he’s always in the right position, making hustle plays, getting his hands in passing lanes, communicating, and inhaling rebounds. Jokic got himself in the best condition of his life and has made himself into a good defender.
Only one All-Star has played in every game this season. It’s Jokic, which just bolsters his case during a season ravaged by absences due to injuries, the health and safety protocols, and a truncated schedule that caused teams to rest their stars. Players who stayed healthy like Jokic naturally provided more to their teams and deserve an edge. Durability should be considered by voters, and Jokic would have still been in the running had other candidates who missed time stayed healthy, such as Embiid, James Harden, and LeBron James.
Embiid’s injury diminished his chances of winning MVP, but his second-place finish serves to emphasize the value of bigs in the league today. For a while, people thought bigs were a dying breed, but Embiid’s rookie season five years ago hinted that a rise like this was possible. It’s a testament to the Sixers center’s work ethic that he’s actually reached this level, though. Embiid added layer after layer to his game, adding post moves, improving as a passer, extending his range, and mastering the intricacies of the paint. As long as Embiid can stay healthy he should only keep getting better, and maybe someday he will win his first MVP.
Giannis is averaging nearly 30 points and six assists while dominating on defense for a third straight season. Did you see him block Kevin Durant? It was genuinely stunning. The fact he’s won back-to-back MVPs shouldn’t be a factor in any voter’s decision for this season. But he’s fallen down my MVP rankings slightly because his defense has slipped from his Defensive Player of the Year campaign last year, though he’s still an All-Defensive team player. Jokic’s heightened offensive impact just gives him an edge on my ballot.
Steph remains as special as ever. It’s an easy choice to have him in the top five. Fourth feels low considering the Warriors would be in the dumpster without him. But the players above him make a more significant impact defensively, and a team’s place in the standings has to count at least a little bit.
Doncic gets the fifth spot for now because of his elite production with a massive offensive workload, and the fact he’s better defensively than he ever was before. But there’s serious arguments to be made for Chris Paul, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, and others for this spot. Paul might end up getting the nod on my ballot, and we’ll get into him more in the All-NBA section, which is a doozy to figure out this season. Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved, however, weren’t all that difficult.
Defensive Player of the Year1. Rudy Gobert
2. Ben Simmons
3. Bam Adebayo
In the same way Jokic is Denver’s offense, Gobert is Utah’s defense. The two-time DPOY winner literally deters players from even entering the paint.
He has a 7-foot-9 wingspan. He’s 258 pounds. He reads the floor like he has 360 vision. The strength of the Jazz defense is guarding the pick-and-roll, which he thrives in with his blend of elite traits and skills. When Gobert defends a screen in the pick-and-roll, Utah allows only 0.85 points per chance, which leads the 101 players to log at least 400 plays. Since he’s so dominant inside, Utah’s other defenders are able to stay home on their assignments instead of helping to prevent a drive into the paint.
The difference between Gobert and Simmons is that Gobert defines how the West-leading Jazz operate, while Simmons is one of several major parts that power the East-leading Sixers. In reality, what Gobert and Embiid do on defense is far more comparable than Simmons. But generally, rim protectors have a greater impact on how a defense operates. It’s one of the reasons Gobert gets an edge over Simmons on my ballot, and had Embiid not missed so many games he would have drawn consideration too.
Simmons is the best at what he does, serving as an on-ball stopper against the league’s best scorers and an active off-ball nuisance who fully belongs in the conversation for this award. The energy he brings on defense is contagious. When he’s on, it lights a fire in his team. Simmons was once an apathetic defender at LSU and he’s turned himself into one of the league’s best. We’ll touch more on him later.
Adebayo isn’t the league’s best defender, but he might be the league’s most well-rounded. This season, he’s defended pick-and-rolls and switched 490 times compared to 399 instances of dropping into the paint, according to Second Spectrum. That makes him the only defender to log over 300 plays both switching and dropping. The Heat rightfully trust him in either role because he can lock down smaller, quicker players on the perimeter, and serve as an impactful rim protector.