As exciting as the start of the NBA playoffs will be, it's still sad that the regular season is approaching its end. With the fantasy basketball season coming to a close, it's time to hand out some hardware. Keep in mind that while most of these awards bear the same name as the "real" awards, we're only taking into account players' fantasy performance this season.
Without further ado, let's discuss some players who earned some hardware, with one award that is not exactly one to be proud about winning.
Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
This one was an easy choice. Jokic has put up some monster numbers throughout his career, but he's taken it to a new level this season. He's on pace to set career-highs in points (27.0) and rebounds (13.7) per game, while also averaging 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.3 three-pointers. He's also been extremely efficient, shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 80.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Equally as valuable as his across-the-board production is the fact that Jokic has taken the mantle as the NBA's preeminent ironman. When many teams are resting their stars down the stretch, Jokic has been in the lineup virtually every single night, much to the delight of his fantasy managers. Not only is Jokic the fantasy MVP, but he could be on his way to winning his second straight NBA MVP Award, as well.
Honorable Mention: Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Rookie of the
As exciting as the start of the NBA playoffs will be, it's still sad that the regular season is approaching its end. With the fantasy basketball season coming to a close, it's time to hand out some hardware. Keep in mind that while most of these awards bear the same name as the "real" awards, we're only taking into account players' fantasy performance this season.
Without further ado, let's discuss some players who earned some hardware, with one award that is not exactly one to be proud about winning.
Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
This one was an easy choice. Jokic has put up some monster numbers throughout his career, but he's taken it to a new level this season. He's on pace to set career-highs in points (27.0) and rebounds (13.7) per game, while also averaging 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.3 three-pointers. He's also been extremely efficient, shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 80.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Equally as valuable as his across-the-board production is the fact that Jokic has taken the mantle as the NBA's preeminent ironman. When many teams are resting their stars down the stretch, Jokic has been in the lineup virtually every single night, much to the delight of his fantasy managers. Not only is Jokic the fantasy MVP, but he could be on his way to winning his second straight NBA MVP Award, as well.
Honorable Mention: Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Rookie of the Year: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
This was the most difficult award to hand out. This rookie class has been truly special and has produced several players who will be fantasy forces for years to come. Evan Mobley had the early lead, but an ankle injury that has forced him to miss five straight games (and counting) has dealt a crushing blow to fantasy managers when they need him the most. Cade Cunningham has stepped up during the second half of the season, routinely putting up big counting stats and demonstrating much more consistency than we saw early on.
For as good as Mobley was to start the season, and despite how well Cunningham has been playing lately, Barnes edges them both out for this award. He's been a rock for the Raptors all season, and they've needed him with all of their various injuries. With averages of 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 three-pointers per game, his versatile skill set will be fun to watch for years to come. As of Wednesday, Barnes leads all rookies in 8-cat total value (39th overall) – well ahead of Cunningham (63rd) and Mobley (66th).
Honorable Mention: Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Franz Wagner
Defensive Player of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
It has finally all come together for Jackson. Injuries have plagued him early in his career, and he entered this season having never appeared in more than 58 games. He's well on his way to smashing that number (76 games played and counting), and it's not a coincidence that the Grizzlies have cruised to one of the best records in the league.
While Jackson doesn't score a ton of points or haul in a crazy number of rebounds, he's been terrific defensively, averaging 2.3 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. He's also averaged 1.7 three-pointers, which makes him a bit of a unicorn in fantasy when you also factor in his defensive contributions. Entering Wednesday night, Jackson has 38 more blocks (172 total) than any other player in the league.
Honorable Mention: Rudy Gobert, Robert Williams III
Most Improved Player: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
Morant was running away with this award in the early going, but it's slipped through his fingers as he continues to miss time during the most important period of the fantasy season. He may have carried his fantasy managers into the playoffs by posting 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 three-pointers per game, but not being available for when it matters the most is a crushing blow.
With Morant's injury cracking the door open, Garland has earned this honor. He's averaging career-highs across the board, including points (21.7), assists (8.7) and three-pointers (2.5) per game. What's also impressive is that his increased workload hasn't hurt his efficiency. In fact, his 46.1 percent field goal percentage and 89.0 percent shooting from the free throw line are both the highest marks of his young career. The Cavaliers have the look of one of the best up-and-coming young teams in the league, and Garland is one of the main reasons why. Garland currently ranks 20th in total value – up a whopping 76 spots compared to his 2020-21 finish.
Honorable Mention: Ja Morant, Miles Bridges, Dejounte Murray
Biggest Surprise: Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
I so badly wanted to give this award to Drew Eubanks, who has been a revelation for the tanking Trail Blazers. If you told me that he won you your fantasy league, I'd believe it. As big of a surprise as he's been, though, he's only done it for a short period of time. To truly win this award, it had to be given to someone who has made contributions for a longer stretch.
There were a lot of deserving candidates to pick from, but Bane ultimately gets the nod. After averaging 22 minutes per game during his rookie season, he's logged 30 minutes per game this season. He's become one of the best three-point shooters in the league, making 3.0 per game and shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc. That's helped him average 18.3 points, while also putting up 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Having also remained healthy for most of the year (74 games played), Bane is on pace to finish as a top-30 player in 8-cat total value.
Honorable Mention: Bobby Portis, DeMar DeRozan
Biggest Disappointment: Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
Several players could win this award, but let's remove those who had their seasons ruined by injuries. In those situations, managers could at least replace them on their rosters.
Given that caveat, the award goes to Russell Westbrook, who's slogged through one of the single most disastrous and reputation-killing individual seasons in NBA history. It's well documented that Westbrook has tremendous upside, so even when he's struggling, it's not always an easy decision to bench him in fantasy. He's had the occasional outburst, but he's largely struggled, putting up 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
It's the first time he's averaged fewer than 20 points per game since the 2009-10 season, and just the second time in the last six seasons that he's averaged fewer than 10 rebounds and 10 assists per game. For those who played in category leagues, he also struggled with his efficiency, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line – an inexcusable number for a guard. While his high games-played number boosts his value, Westbrook will likely finish outside the top-100 in terms of per-game fantasy value.
Honorable Mention: Julius Randle
