With the playoffs approaching and the end of the NBA Season on us, there was a debate that the league took over – NBA awards. Whether it’s MVP, Rookie of the Year, or Defensive Player of the Year, everyone has their own opinion on which players should win which awards.
Each award has a number of different nominees who have a realistic chance of taking home the trophy. And with how good the Boston Celtics played in the second half of the season, some players from the roster snuck into the ring.
In an April 5 issue of Celtics postenNBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg has campaigned for four different Celtics for NBA honors this season. He argued that Robert Williams should make the All-Defensive First Team, Jayson Tatum the All-NBA First Team. Ime Udoka should be coach of the yearand Brad Stevens would be Executive of the Year.
Starting with Williams, Forsberg brought up the fact that opponents shoot a whopping seven percent worse when defended by him. Thaference leads the entire league.
“Rob is the NBA leader for all players with at least 500 shots defended,” Forsberg said. “Better than Gobert, better than ‘Triple J’ in Memphis, like all other All-Defense candidates.”
Forsberg also mentioned that when Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid may be selected as forwards on All-NBA teamsthen Williams should receive the same treatment. How flexible voting has becomeWilliams should be eligible for votes in the forward position.
For Tatum’s All-NBA First Team case, Forsberg turned to points difference. He remarked on how much better the Celtics are on the court with Tatum this year.
“Plus 13.5,” announced Forsberg. “That’s the net valuation difference for Jayson Tatum this year. Essentially, Tatum is plus 11.5 when he’s on the pitch. So the Celtics are 11.5 points per 100 possessions better than the other team when he’s out. When he’s not out there, it falls to -2.0. This means they are 13.5 points better overall.”
He went on to say that the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is the only player ahead of Tatum in terms of net rating difference. Tatum is guys like ahead Giannis Antetokounmpo der Milwaukee Bucks, Kevin Durant from Brooklyn Networksand Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Next, Forsberg argued that Udoka’s ability to improve Boston’s playmaking was a key reason for his nomination for Coach of the Year. Forsberg reflected on one of Udoka’s first promises as head coach during his altercation:
Most recently, Forsberg reviewed the multitude of moves Stevens made in his first year as President of Basketball Operations. It wasn’t an easy task, but he was accepted the challenge with full force.
“Brad had to hire the coach,” Forsberg began. “He makes the mid-season trade to get Derrick White, which again took some guts because you had to give up a pick, you had to give him a future pick swap. These weren’t easy steps, and Brad would have loved to step into this new role. No, he was like full cracks, flames everywhere. He was willing to give this team the best chance to make it work.”
Forsberg also brought up the Al Horford trade from the previous offseason, where Stevens traded Kemba Walker and a first-round pick to bring back a player who has become crucial to Boston’s defensive system.
As previously mentioned, guys like Gobert, Adebayo, and Embiid Williams could stand in the way of forming All-Defensive First Team. And even if he were to qualify for the forward position, he would have to face the likes of Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mikal Bridges.
For Tatum, the competition is just as fierce. With both Jokic and Embiid qualified for Forward, it’s highly likely that both will end up in the All-NBA First Team. Add Antetokounmpo to the mix and that would have both forward positions already filled. Tatum is eligible to make the team as a guard, but most voters will likely pick him as a forward.
There are also many coaches who have a chance to be coach of the year this season. Taylor Jenkins did incredible things in Memphis, JB Bickerstaff helped speed up the Cleveland Cavaliers’ timeline 10-fold, and Monty Williams led the team Phoenix Suns to their best regular season in franchise history. Udoka was phenomenal, but so are a lot of coaches in the league.
However, Stevens could have a much clearer path to winning Executive of the Year. Elton Brand might have a case for making the deal with James Harden, Zachary Kleiman put together an amazing Grizzlies list, and Andy Elisburg did a great job finding hidden gems for Miami’s list. But when it comes to the perfect mix of trades, signings and renewals, Stevens’ year has been at the front of the pack.
With the tightness of any prize race right now, anything could happen. Boston has a lot of people running to take home an award, and with their great performance lately, dominating the NBA awards would be the perfect picture-perfect ending (outside of an NBA championship).
