Above the Break Episode 49: 2022-23 NBA Awards
The 2022-23 NBA season is over, and that means AWARDS! The Above the Break duo of James Piercey (@JamesPiercey11) and N.B. Lindberg (@nblindberg) make their picks for Least Valuable Player (an Above the Break tradition), Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and MVP.
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Least Valuable Player
James backs Reggie Bullock of the Dallas Mavericks for the award as a 3-and-D player who saw their impact on both ends diminish.
Nevin has RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks as the LVP. His on-off splits are horrendous, and outside of volume-induced box score viability had his worst season since his disappointing rookie season.
Rookie of the Year
James believes that Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero is the locked-on Rookie of the Year. He led all rookies in scoring and showed all of the shot creation that made him the first overall pick in the 2022 draft.
Nevin pushes back on Banchero’s candidacy as his efficiency was putrid from the floor, and the Magic were significantly better without him on the court. There’s no question he was thrown into the deep end. But his future is incredibly bright, and Nevin believes many rookies impacting winning far more than Banchero.
Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz is Nevin’s pick for Rookie of the Year. Most advanced metrics agree he was the best rookie, and he walkered into the league as an elite rim protector, the most valuable defensive skill.
James isn’t having any of Nevin’s shenanigans. He argues that Banchero’s difficult offensive role should count in his favor and nullify his less-than-impressive impact on winning as the two debate the very soul of the award.
Coach of the Year
Mike Brown is winning Coach of the Year, so Nevin and James take the time to talk about the incredible job Tom Thibodeau did in New York.
The conversation goes off the rails a little and touches on Stephen Silas, a coaching free agent, as James and Nevin rant about how armchair coaches are the bane of their Twitter existence.
Most Improved Player
Nevin and James agree Lauri Markkanen is the Most Improved Player. He upped his scoring from 14.8 points per game to 25.6 while improving his efficiency (54.2% —> 58.6% eFG%). Going from a solid starter/rotation player to an All-Star and borderline All-NBA player is a massive jump.
Instead of simply waxing poetically about Markkanen, James brings up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who went from All-Star to All-NBA/MVP. While the jump was smaller than Markkanen’s, it was the more difficult one to make. Nevin believes SGA could one day challenge for Best Player in the World.
Sixth Man of the Year
Sixth Man of the Year is likely to come down to Malcolm Brogdon and Immanuel Quickley. The two bench guard maestros of the Atlantic Division (yes, divisions are a real thing still…I think) have been crucial to their team’s success.
James believes Brogdon’s elite shooting efficiency (44.4% from three) for the Boston Celtics makes him the right choice and odds-on favorite. While Nevin believes Quickley’s massive on-off (+8.6) and defensive impact made him a more crucial piece to the Knicks’ surprising season. The pair agree that you can’t go wrong with either pick.
Defensive Player of the Year
The debate over Defensive Player of the Year came down to values. James believes Jaren Jackson Jr. is the best defender in the league, while Nevin believes Brook Lopez’s massive volume of disruption is too good to overlook.
Much like Sixth Man of the Year, the pair agree that you can’t go wrong with either, and it really comes down to what you want the award to award. James goes for top-end impact, while Nevin values showing up to work every day.
Most Valuable Player
The award of awards that has been the most talked about regular season storyline isn’t getting any more friendly on Above the Break. James is backing Joel Embiid, and Nevin is backing Nikola Jokic, but the pair agree, they’ve both been amazing, and that should be the conversation.
Nevin makes the case for Jokic by listing all the metrics he leads the NBA in by a wide margin, while James argues that Embiid’s defensive impact makes up the difference.
Towards the end of the conversation, the pair discuss the topic of winning three consecutive MVPs.