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With the NBA season a quarter of the way done, why not do some quarterly awards (MVP, ROY, DPOY, etc.) and see who a surprise has been as well as who has been a disappointment so far this season.
MVP of the Quarter- The MVP of the first quarter of the season is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA has simply exploded out the gate this season making the Oklahoma City Thunder season a little exciting to watch. Averaging 31 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists currently may finally lead to his first all-star appearance and be recognized for his amazing talent, needless to say SGA is my quarterly MVP.
Rookie of the Quarter- All due respect to Magic’s sensation Paolo Banchero and his performance despite injuries but hands down the rookie of the quarter have been Indiana Pacers Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin has been important to this surprise start for the Pacers who many wrote off to start the season (myself included). Averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists Mathurin alongside breakout point god Tyrese Haliburton have led Indiana to impressive start and optimism to be a playoff team if this continues.
Defensive Player of the Quarter- This is not my Raptors fandom taking over here but the best defensive player in the NBA right now has been OG Anunoby. Anunoby has been a menace on defense for a very versatile Raptors defensive, but he has gone to another level, this defensive performance reminds of peak Ron Artest during his Pacer days hopefully will carry on throughout the season as long as he stays healthy.
Most Improved Player of the Quarter- This also could have been an MVP of the quarter choice but Tyrese Haliburton has been out of this world to start the season so much so that the term “Point God” is coming up more often and deservingly so. Haliburton leads the league in assists with 11 which is 2 more than second place player (Trae Young) also averaging 19 points and 5 rebounds, Haliburton along with the rookie Mathurin certainly make for a dangerous young backcourt and give Pacer fans hope for a playoff appearance this season.
Coach of the Quarter- The best coach up to this point many would say is Will Hardy in Utah, which is a great choice, but I am going to give coach of the quarter to JB Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a 15-8 record the Cavs have taken a step into a new direction and still can do more but Bickerstaff’s coaching has made this start go well and hopefully will lead to a decent playoff appearance this postseason.
Surprising Player(s)- There have been several choices for surprising players to stand out, level up or make a statement so far this season but I have 2 choices. My first name is Bol Bol of the Orlando Magic who has made the most of the opportunity to make himself a valued part of that young Magic nucleus by showing his detractors wrong.
My second name may shock you or shock people who know my take on this player, but I got to give it to Devin Booker. Booker on the surface has seemed to take the reigns of the Suns and lead them to great start as well as a hopeful redemption playoff run. Booker has made a case for the top 5 conversation hopefully he doesn’t make me take back my praise, but I have to respect the game and performance Booker has shown so far this season.
Disappointing Player(s)- Now to the opposite the disappointing player or players to this point in the season. I also have two names and I have to admit that this is going to hurt to write but I have to call it how I see it. The first name for disappointing players so far this season has been Kawhi Leonard, Leonard is the face of desperately hopeful Clipper franchise waiting for some pay off in them investing in him and Paul George 4 years ago. A lingering injury and the management of it has led to some doubt in Leonard being able to hold long enough to get the Clippers to the finals but hopefully things can turn around but right now the Klaw and his return have been deflating.
The next name I am going to say is a tough one as well because I have hope that his new situation can unlock his talent, but Ben Simmons has given his haters, doubters, and critics ample ammunition to shoot. Simmons hasn’t shown that defensive prowess, playmaking ability and simple confidence to do the basics to validate his all-NBA potential. Yes the mess in Brooklyn doesn’t help matters but hopefully Simmons’ mentality and back gets better as the season progresses so he can be the pivotal piece to get the Nets in position for a potentially deep playoff run.
Surprising Team- One of the most surprising stories of the season so far has the Sacramento Kings, I never thought I would say anything good about the Kings again but here I am. The Kings seem to have something positive going on with being currently fifth in the West with a 12-9 record. The play of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, rookie Keegan Murray, plus the quality play from role players Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk gives the Kings a chance to be a major spoiler in the West and maybe be in the playoff picture for the first team in 15 years.
Disappointing Team- Staying in western conference with the disappointing team so far this season shouldn’t us, but it is the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T’Wolves had high expectations coming into the season more specifically in the ‘Twin Towers” duo of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. The duo has shown its obvious flaws defensively and that they clog up stuff offensively, especially for their young breakout franchise star Anthony Edwards who has been frustrated to say the least.
Coach Chris Finch is supposedly a mad scientist as far as making that duo work with this team but it is clear that Towns, Gobert and Russell are not the guys to lead your team to deep success and currently are making the young star Edwards disgruntled which can lead to a possible request out of there and make this season more problematic which is the last thing Minnesota needs so we’ll see if things shake out or blow up for the Wolves.