Every year, all the writers and talking heads try to predict what will happen in the next season. Sometimes they nail their pickaxes and sometimes they look like they have no idea.
It’s a gamble, but it’s fun to see if you can be that guy who predicts everything and then brags to your friends. I’ll take my point and see if I can nail down at least two of those points.
I will list two finalists for each prize, and then give my prediction about who will win the material.
Rookie of the Year
Runner-up: Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota Wolves)
Wiggins was in the perfect situation when he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in June. As soon as LeBron signed up to play for the Cavs, the spotlight took away from him. All he had to do was join a team that was action for the championship. Then came Kevin love’s trade.
Now he has the weight of the Minnesota Timberwolves on his shoulders. It’s good that he has Kevin Martin to play. This will take away some of the burden of evaluation from him. I don’t think he’s ready for the goalscoring role yet. He should score easy points during the quick break and play a good defense. I expect to see it in the top TEN of SportsCenter a couple of times.
Finalist: Elfrid Payton (Orlando Magic)
At least Payton wins the prize for the best look. He has a beautiful haircut or is not-found. He will lead from the first day to the point for magic. He has a nice backyard pavilion in Victor Oladipo and a nice athletic striker in Aaron Gordon. I’m expecting big alley-oops from the Payton-Gordon combination. He will play a strong defense and will quickly become a fan favorite.
Jabari Parker.
Winner: Jabari Parker (Milwaukee Bucks)
Jabari will be the Milwaukee man this season. He was the most hopeful draft-ready this season and it was expected that he would score 18 to 20 points per game with his fair share of rebounds. He, like any recruit, will have difficult times ahead, but most often he will not look like an experienced veterinarian. Jabari should have a long and successful career and be an all-star several times.
Improved player
Runner-up: Steven Adams (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Adams has a style of play that seems to follow in the footsteps of all the opposing players. However, Oklahoma fans love it. Last season, they averaged just 3.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 14.8 MPG. It should see a sharp increase in playing time. I would bet that he will complete your launch center by December 1st. If he hadn’t played with so many goalscorers, I might have won this award. I was able to see it an average of 15 and 9 this year.
Runner-up: Jared Sullinger (Boston Celtics)
Last season, Sully started in 44 of the 74 games in which he appeared. In these games, an average of 13.3 PPG and 8.8 RPGs were scored in 27.6 MPG. This season he is the undisputed owner of the power forward. Boston needs to score somewhere and I think Sullinger could approach that mark of 20 points per game. It has a soft touch on the edge and can go beyond the arc. It should be a big year for him.
Trey Burke on pinterest
Winner: Trey Burke (Utah Jazz)
Although I think Utah Jazz will have problems as a team, I can see Burke making big numbers individually. Last season, an average of 12.8 points per game, 5.7 points per game, 3.0 RPG and 1.9 TOPG were scored.
He has a couple of good shooters by his side in Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward, as well as some promising big men (Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors). He should be able to collect a couple of assists, and he reduces his rounds. This will be Utah’s second option after Hayward and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch of stats of 18 PPG, 8 APG, 4 RPGs from him.
Sixth Man of the Year
Runner-up: Jamal Crawford (Los Angeles Clippers)
You can’t mention the sixth man prize without mentioning Jamal Crawford, the two-time winner (in 2010 and 2014). Crawford is still a spark plug on the bench and offers an instant strike. He can fill it faster than a gas station employee. He averaged 18.6 points per game last year, mostly in a reserve role. I don’t expect that to really change this season. If he doesn’t get hurt, expect Crawford to have his.
Second: Tim Hardaway Jr. (New York Knicks)
I was thinking about Hardaway Jr. on my list of finalists for the most improved player. In his rookie year in 2013/14, he averaged 10.2 points per game from the Knicks bench. He arrives this season with his great confidence and a new commitment to the defense. I think he has a little bit of this bragging of his pops. He will be a valuable reservist and I wouldn’t be surprised if he took over JR Smith.
Isaiah Thomas
Winner: Isaiah Thomas (Phoenix Suns)
Thomas was the cousin of DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento last year. Depending on its speed, it has an average of 20.3 PPG and 6.3 APG. When Phoenix called free agency, he decided to take the plunge to Arizona. He is now the third goalkeeper in a rotation with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. I think he will be a lightning rod when he comes off the pen, and he will always manage to collect big statistics with this run N’ gun team.
