NBA Awards Tracker, Wednesday 26th October
MVP
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum is presenting a solid case after being a key figure in Boston’s strong start to the season. Tatum represents many of the qualities that traditionally have gone with the award, with voters always casting a favourable eye on the next generation of talent and marking proven stars harder after winning the award.
The 24-year-old has posted some strong stats early in the 2022/23 campaign, leading the points per game list with 34.7 while also bringing in 8.3 rebounds per game.
While Tatum rises up the ranks, Nikola Jokic has drifted with some underwhelming performances off the back of two consecutive NBA MVP seasons.
The recent loss to Portland saw just nine points from Jokic and some foul trouble to boot. Having set such a high bar over the previous two years, the early signs are that Jokic may struggle to be in contention once again.
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Defensive Player Of The Year
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert was one of the big trades of the off-season, arriving at Minnesota from Utah. While there is always the unknown with how a recruit can adjust to new surroundings, Gobert’s form has been exemplary.
He leads the league with 18 rebounds per game, and the 54 he has accumulated in his first three games are the most ever by a Timberwolf in a three-game stretch.
Gobert faces some competition for this award from Miami’s Bam Adebayo, who continues to trouble players of all sizes and abilities. Two big blocks in the loss to Toronto and a rebound average of eight has Adebayo right in contention here, and the next few weeks could be a strong chance to take out the award he has polled well in over the past couple of years.
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Sixth Man Of The Year
Jordan Poole
Christian Wood has firmed as favourite for this gong, sliding seamlessly into the Dallas rotation. He has brought an all-round game to the Mavericks gameplan. Most importantly he has combined perfectly with the main Maverick Luca Doncic and has shown an instant impact as soon as he enters the court.
The long-term question around Wood is how he handles the reduced minutes that come with being a non-starter and for that reason you can’t rule out Jordan Poole as a big chance to take home this title.
Golden State is one of the best-drilled teams in the league and while Steph Curry and Klay Thompson provide the star power, the supporting act of Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, James WIseman and Poole provides the best depth in the league.
One of the big things in Poole’s favour is how well he has handled himself after he was controversially struck by Green in the pre-season. That triumph over adversity won’t go unnoticed among 6th man voters.
