As I recently posted, the 2020 finalists for each award have come out. We always hear about the same awards though; MVP, DPOY, Most Improved, 6th Man, Coach of the Year, etc. After a while, that gets pretty boring. So today, I’m giving you five new funny, weird, wacky, and crazy awards that will guarantee to at least make you crack a smile.
#5: The Triple Single Award
This award goes to a player who is averaging single digits in points, assists, and rebounds. And this year, the award goes to Draymond Green. While it could have gone to many guys in the league, Draymond is the only one averaging points, assists, and rebounds in single digits who is a 3-time All-Star. So it goes to him. This is not exactly something to be proud of, so hopefully Draymond will be a little better next year if Lamelo Ball comes to Golden State. Or any top draft pick (except Obi Toppin) for that matter.
#4: The Offensive Player of the Year Award
This award goes to the player who is the best on offense, and offense only. The NFL has this award, but the NBA doesn’t. And as you might have guessed, the award goes to James Harden. James Harden doesn’t really play too much defense, and conserves his energy for offense. The 2018 MVP has averaged 30+ points per game for over three seasons! That’s insane! And as long as he’s on the Houston Rockets, I see no reason that this will change anytime soon.
#3: The Walking Technical Award
This award was a little bit tougher then the others, because I couldn’t figure out how to judge it. I could just say give it to Draymond Green, but that’s no fun. So I looked at the numbers. The player with the most technical fouls in 2020 was DeMar DeRozan, with 15. And right behind is (you guessed it) Draymond Green, with 14. But if we look at technicals per game (TPG), we see Draymond Green has an average of 0.33, highest in 2020. DeMar DeRozan is 4th on that list, with 0.22 technicals per game. The award could go to either player, but I’m going to give this award to DeRozan because Draymond Green has already won an award on this list, AND has ranked in the top 10 for TPG in the last four years. Meaning he would have won the award the last couple of years as well — if it had been a real thing.
#2: The Mr. Unfreethrow Award
This award goes to the player with the worst free throw percentage in the 2019-2020 season. There were a few different ways to judge this award, but ultimately I went with percentage. Unsurprisingly, a lot of big men in the league have horrible free throw percentages. In fact, there are a LOT of players who have a free throw percentage under 50%. Andre Drummond went roughly 50% from the free throw line this year, and holds the record for worst free throw percentage of all time. A couple of years ago, this award might have gone to DeAndre Jordan. But this award goes to neither of them. In fact, we have a tie. Both Corey Brewer and Vic Law (who?) shot 33.3% from the free throw line this year, worst in the league. However, we can only have one winner for Mr. Unfreethrow. So I looked at their advanced stats. Vic Law, a 24-year old rookie, attempted six free throws this season and made two of them; he played in eight games. That isn’t very impressive. But you figure, a 12-year NBA veteran would be better, right? WRONG! Corey Brewer only played in five games this season, and attempted three free throws, making just one. So the Mr. Unfreethrow award goes to Corey Brewer. About time you won something.
#1: The Next Michael Jordan Award
By now, NBA fans have learned that there will never be another Michael Jordan. Over 20 players were compared to Mike, and only one of them ever got close to the GOAT’s legacy, that player being the legendary Kobe Bryant. It’s actually kind of sad, because everyone will say there is no next Michael Jordan and then compare some young guy to Mike. So that’s what I’m doing.
For this award, the player must be under 25, so that they are young and have a ton of potential. Otherwise, Kawhi Leonard would win this award. This year, The Next Michael Jordan Award goes to… Luka Dončić! He’s an incredible young player with boatloads of talent, and led the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs in his second season! He, for a brief point in time, was averaging a 30-point triple double, and was an MVP candidate in his second year! Oh, and keep in mind, he already was an MVP in the Euro-League. I think Luka will have a long and incredible career; not like Mike’s, but still the greatest young player in the league that will win MVPs and championships.
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