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Reading: Mid-Season NBA Awards: Joel Embiid Is The MVP, Ben Simmons Is The DPOY
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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Mid-Season NBA Awards: Joel Embiid Is The MVP, Ben Simmons Is The DPOY

Mid-Season NBA Awards: Joel Embiid Is The MVP, Ben Simmons Is The DPOY

Eddie Bitar
Mar 11, 2021
7 Min Read
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The NBA season is halfway through and we have just completed the All-Star Game on March 7. Looking ahead to the end of the season, we have ranked the favorites for the NBA awards. The Utah Jazz are the best team in the NBA this season, with a number one seed in the West, but do they have an MVP player on the roster?

Contents
  • Coach Of The Year: Quin Snyder
  • Rookie of the Year: LaMelo Ball
  • Most Improved Player of the Year: Christian Wood
  • Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Clarkson
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Simmons
  • Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid

What about the best coach? Tom Thibodeau has led the Knicks to a surprising playoff seed while Quin Snyder has the best record in the league. Who has the edge in the Coach of the Year? It is time to crown the players for every NBA award.

Here are the NBA Midseason awards for the 2021 season.

Coach Of The Year: Quin Snyder

Win-Loss Record: 27-9

Quin Snyder

The New York Knicks have surprised everybody this season and head coach Tom Thibodeau deserves a ton of praise, but the Utah Jazz are the best team in the NBA. The Jazz have been a top team for the last 2 years, but this season Snyder has led them to another level.

The Jazz are ranked 4th in defense, 3rd in offense, and 1st in threes made. Snyder has all players on the same page, playing hard on both ends, and sharing the basketball. The way Utah has taken care of business means Snyder is the Coach of the Year.

Rookie of the Year: LaMelo Ball

15.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG

LaMelo Ball

LaMelo Ball is in the midst of one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory. Ball is putting up solid all-around numbers and is easily the franchise player for Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets.

Ball is averaging 28.9 MPG, with a win share rating of 2.6 (64th in the league, and is leading his team in assists and steals. There is no doubt that LaMelo is the best Ball brother and he is performing how many expected Lonzo to. LaMelo is the undisputed Rookie of the Year and barring injury, he will lift the award at the end of the season.

Most Improved Player of the Year: Christian Wood

22.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.5 BPG

Christian Wood

There are a couple of contenders for this award, including Detroit’s Jerami Grant. But Christian Wood has to take the edge as the Most Improved Player. He is averaging a double-double, and the Rockets’ 13 game losing streak is mainly due to the fact that Wood missed all of them. He is that important to the team especially with the departure of James Harden.

Grant is putting up solid numbers at 23.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG, but Detroit is one of the worst teams in the NBA when he has been healthy, and the Rockets are likely a playoff team when Wood is healthy.

Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Clarkson

17.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

No question, Jordan Clarkson is the best player coming off the bench this season. He is scoring almost 18 PPG and is an immediate fire starter coming off the bench of the best team in the Western Conference. Playing only 26.0 MPG, Clarkson is shooting 37.0% from three and 96.7% from the free-throw line.

The Utah Jazz have been a special team that have shared the wealth all season long, and Clarkson’s firepower off the bench is a key factor. Clarkson was signed to a large $ contract, and he has more than made up for it.

Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Simmons

16.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Credit: Getty Images

The Philadelphia 76ers are the most consistent team in the Eastern Conference this season, and the defensive dominance of Ben Simmons has been one of the top two reasons why. Simmons is snatching 1.6 SPG and also blocking 0.7 BPG. Simmons is one of the most versatile defenders in the world and can handle all five positions when needed.

Simmons has a 3.7 win share rating (28th in the NBA) and is one of the two best players on the best team in the East so far. Simmons has close competition from two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert, Simmons takes the edge because of his incredible versatility.

Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid

30.2 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.4 BPG

(via Bleacher Report)

There is no question that Joel Embiid has been the most impressive player in the NBA this season. Embiid is averaging a monster double-double and is guiding the 76ers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. While the Utah Jazz have the better record, Donovan Mitchell has not been as dominant as the All-Star center.

Embiid has upped his game under head coach Doc Rivers and is carrying Philly all season long. Playing 33.0 MPG, Embiid has a 5.8 win share rating (3rd in the league) and is the most consistent big man in the league this season. He has managed to stay healthy and dominate every game, making him the MVP favorite.

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ByEddie Bitar
Eddie Bitar is a senior staff writer for Fadeaway World from Denver, Colorado. Since joining the team in 2017, Eddie has applied his academic background in economics and finance to enhance his sports journalism. Graduating with a Bachelor's degree from and later a Master's degree in Finance from Utrecht in 2018, he integrates statistical analysis into his articles. This unique approach provides readers with a deeper understanding of basketball through the lens of financial and economic concepts.Eddie's work has not only been a staple at Fadeaway World but has also been featured in prominent publications such as Sports Illustrated. His ability to break down complex data and present it in an accessible way creates an engaging and informative way to visualize both individual and team statistics. From finding the top 3 point shooters of every NBA franchise to ranking players by cost per point, Eddie is constantly finding new angles to use historical data that other NBA analysts may be overlooking.A lifelong basketball fan, Eddie grew up trying to mimic Jason Kidd's game. When asked which NBA player, past or present, he would most like to interview, Eddie's choice is clear: Jason Kidd. He admires Kidd's genius at playing point guard and his ability to lead a team to two NBA Finals appearances. Eddie believes Kidd is an underrated star who deserves more praise, and he would relish the opportunity to pick his brain and discuss the intricacies of the game.
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