NBA Midseason Superlatives: Most Dominant Player, Biggest Surprise And More
The NBA’s regular season is more than halfway over and the playoff and award pictures are becoming increasingly clear by the week. Some players will take home literal awards upon the season’s conclusion, but other players, fan bases and moments have helped define the first 40-plus games of the 2019-20 regular season. Here are 10 superlatives to mark the first half of the year.
Most Obvious Future League MVP: Luka Doncic
If The Crossover staff is correct in their recent prognostications, then Giannis Antetokounmpo will win his second consecutive MVP award this season. However, through more than half of this season, it’s becoming blatantly obvious that Luka Doncic will take home the award sooner rather than later. Doncic is averaging nearly a 30-10-10 triple-double with his counting stats alone making a sizable leap. He’s set countless records throughout the first 40-plus games and wowed fans and opposing players alike with his skills, whether that be scoring or passing.
He’ll make his All-Star Game debut this Feb. in Chicago. It won’t be his last major accolade.
Most Likely to Debate the Merits of an All-Star: Atlanta Hawks fans
Trae Young is averaging 29.2 points, 8.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game, all stats that certainly warrant inclusion on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. But his defensive struggles can’t be overlooked in his candidacy, and neither can Atlanta’s record. The Hawks have 10 wins and sit last in the Eastern Conference. Young likely won’t be voted in as a starter. And, as a result, the onus will be on the conference’s coaches to put him in. Will his production as a dangerous and productive playmaker get him into the game? Or will his team’s struggles keep him out? An opinion on Young’s candidacy is largely a reflection of what you think warrants being an All-Star. The Oklahoma product’s selection will be a hot topic until the game’s roster is announced.
Most Exciting Dunker: Ja Morant
Despite Morant reportedly not taking part in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend, the Grizzlies star guard has emerged as one of the most jaw-dropping players in the league.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B (even if he missed):
Most Likely to Remind Fans They Are Still the Defending Champions: Toronto Raptors fans
Entering Wednesday’s action, the Raptors sit in third in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the two-seeded Miami Heat. Through the first half of the season, forward Pascal Siakam has put himself towards the top of Most Improved Player of the Year discussions again, and for a long stretch, prior to his recent absence, was in the conversation for MVP. Other players, namely OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell, have improved, too. Toronto is also the league’s second-best defensive team, currently placing second in defensive rating, second in steals and second in fewest paint points allowed per 100 possession among other metrics. Heading into the season, there was speculation about what Toronto was going to do without Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors have been just fine, and then some. Remember they are still the defending champs.
Active Player Most Likely to Broadcast Games in Second Half of the Season: Steph Curry
Despite the Warriors’ struggles, the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast has remained fun. The most recent reminder of such a fact came this weekend when Stephen Curry got the chance to call some of his team’s action against the Orlando Magic. “Good offense, beats good defense anytime,” Curry said following a contested Markelle Fultz jumper, sounding like a seasoned broadcaster.
After the game, he conducted an on-court postgame interview with his teammate Eric Paschall. Steph’s father, Dell, is a broadcaster for the Charlotte Hornets. And Steph’s injury plus the Warriors’ mere 10 wins mean that maybe, just maybe, Curry will spend more time calling the action before returning.
Most Dominant Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis is on track to win his second consecutive MVP award at the end of this season. His counting stats have jumped, plus the Bucks have both picked up big wins over the league’s best competition and throttled the league’s middle-class. The Bucks have won 24 of their league-leading 39 victories by 10 or more points, and Giannis’ numbers would be even better if he played more than 31 minutes per game. It’s not crazy to think that the Bucks could win 70 games this season, even without a second true superstar.
Most Anticipated Second Half: Zion Williamson
Williamson makes his debut Wednesday night against the Spurs on ESPN, a broadcasting change that was announced upon his return being scheduled. The league first hoped he would debut Opening Night on TNT, but the latest TV adjustment is indicative of just how anticipated his debut will be. Consider the pregame dunks that have gotten millions of views on social media, or the hype at Duke, or at Spartanburg High School, or the gravity-defying blocks. Zion is now upon us.
His generational physicality was on display during the preseason as he performed as few rookies ever had. Now he’ll get a chance to show how good he can be for a Pelicans team looking to make a playoff push. The team has won 11 of its last 16 games and is just 3.5 games out of the eighth seed in the West. A possible Zion-LeBron first-round matchup could be just a few months away.
Most Likely to Be Judged Solely on the Postseason: Los Angeles Lakers
Throughout the first half of the season, the Lakers have shown they can beat up on the laymen of the NBA. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have seamlessly co-existed and both are in the MVP conversation. The Lakers might have a trade deadline move to make, perhaps adding a playmaking guard like Derrick Rose who would take pressure off LeBron, but otherwise, the current roster will be judged on how it performs in the postseason—most likely against the Clippers and Bucks. Entering Wednesday night, the Lakers have a 3.5 game lead on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and will have home-court advantage throughout the West. But none of it will matter if the Lakers aren’t playing in the beginning of June.
Biggest Overachiever: Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have earned their 30-13 record, which puts them second in the Eastern Conference. Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson have emerged as two of the most pleasant surprises of the first 40-some games. Jimmy Butler has acclimated himself well in Erik Spoelstra’s system. And Miami could make noise in the postseason, especially if they make a substantial move at the upcoming trade deadline.
Yet, Miami overperformed in the first half of the season. Defensively, they are worse than teams like the Bucks, Raptors, Pacers and Celtics. And, despite their excellent three-point defense, they are 14th in defensive rating and just 11th in net rating. Their plus-3.7-point differential is tied for fourth-best in the conference and tied for ninth in the entire league. Miami has lost just a single game at home this season, as 12 of its 13 losses have come on the road. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Heat keep winning, but it also wouldn’t be surprising to see them end the season in the middle of the conference standings, instead of near the top.
Biggest Underachiever: Portland Trail Blazers
As the Trail Blazers’ Twitter account noted on Monday night, Portland recently won last year’s Western Conference Finals rematch behind Damian Lillard’s career-night. But the Warriors of this year aren’t the Warriors of last year. Neither are the Blazers.
Injuries are part of Portland’s problem, as Jusuf Nurkic hasn’t played this year and Zach Collins appeared in only a handful of games before dislocating his shoulder.
The Trail Blazers likely weren’t going to live up to their 2019 conference finals appearance this season, but they've lost 11 games by double-digits and is in the bottom third of the league in defensive rating. Their offense is also merely league average, after being the league’s third-best group a season ago. Portland still sits on the cusp of the Western Conference playoff picture, but the team has taken a step back throughout the first part of 2019-20.
