Happy St. Patrick’s Day and a warm(ing) welcome back to all y’all TSA Readers! It is week 2 of our in-house assessment of the NBA. We’re giving our votes out to which players/personnel are deserving of 6 of the NBA’s coveted accolades: COY, ROY, DPOY, MIP, 6th Man and MVP! In case you missed it, here are our votes from last week. Will we stand in our thoughts compared to last week, or will some player out there get lucky enough to grace this week’s vote?

Most Valuable Player – 

Iggy Gilbert – Nikola Jokic – Top five in assists and rebounds, thirteenth in points [and would] be higher if he played more fourth quarter minutes. He’s only missed two games all season. He sets his team up to be so successful with high percentage shots. Everything goes through Jokic in order for the Denver Nuggets to be successful, and they have been the best team in the league for two years.

Rico – Luka Doncic – Luka has been backpacking all season. He’s the leader of this team even with Kyrie on board. Six straight games with a triple double is insane. [He is} currently the league leader in points. He deserves to be in the conversation, and in my opinion he’s the front runner.

JR Thompson – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. You have to be as consistent with voting and reasoning as SGA has been with his play. He doesn’t lead in any statistical category that would matter, except the one where he’s leading his team to a half-game lead over the rest of the Western Conference. As long as the Thunder are in front, SGA has my vote for MVP.

Rookie of the Year –  Unanimous – Victor Wembanyama

Rico – It’s basically him and Chet…I’m giving it to Wemby though. He currently leads the Spurs in points, rebounds, blocks, AND steals! Nothing against Chet but he is that Spurs team. Going forward he will blossom into something special. As for the award…it’s Wemby. Simple as that. As for another award…

Iggy – He comes in as the most hyped player since LeBron James, and delivered. He is by the far the best player on a bad team and heavily game planned for. Most can not even name the Spurs second best player. Hands down he has this award in the bag.

JR – The disappointing thing about voting for Wemby is that it feels like I’m leaning into the media-focused part of his play. The best thing is that his play actually holds water when compared to the rest of the lottery picks of his draft. He statisically outpaces his class. He could even be on pace for… DPOY.

Defensive Player of the Year –

Iggy – Rudy Gobert – Two awards for two big Frenchmen. Rudy Gobert is second in rebounds and seventh in blocks. He is the anchor on the best defensive team in the league. Gobert will join a select list of players to win the award four times; Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.

Rico – Victor Wembanyama – …crazy right? A rookie winning DPOY? Ok hear me out. Second in the league in terms of Defensive Rating, behind Rudy Gobert. Leads the LEAGUE in blocks. He’s on the same trajectory as Rudy was in his DPOY prime. He is of a rare breed. I believe he should have it.

6th Man of the Year 

JR – Jordan Clarkson – There are good second choices, but Clarkson is consistent enough to start. He has. He’s played like a starter off the bench in Utah, given them depth when needed and health when younger players have been out. What more does he need to qualify?

Iggy – Jordan Clarkson – Is is simply electric with a a second unit. Utah is not doing well but Clarkson is averaging 17.3 points and five assists per game. This award is truly up for grabs and Clarkson is worthy of winning his second sixth man of the year

Rico – Malik Monk – He may not have earth shattering stats, but he’s a solid piece on a contending team. 15.6 points, 2.9 boards, 5.3 assists on some damn good shooting splits. Given the spot where Sacramento is, he’s been a great addition to this team for the last couple of seasons.

Most Improved Player

Rico – Tyrese Maxey – This man started the season on a tear! 26 points a game, has played every game up to this point in the season, and has proved that he is capable of leading a team without Embiid. First time all star this year and while finishing 6th in MIP in 2021-2022…this is his time.

Iggy – Coby White – He has been the consistency the Chicago Bulls have needed. He averages over FORTY minutes per game! He averages 24.6 and 5.2 assists per game with a 94.1 free throw percentage. C. White has some amazing games and the Bulls are currently in the Play-In. Coby White is a large reason why.

JR – Coby White – …and he keeps getting better. See the last post as to what this guy is doing.

Coach of the Year –

Iggy – Mike Malone – This man doesn’t get his flowers, and is disrespected as a great head coach. No one believed the Nuggets would win last year, and the Denver Nuggets started the season with the fourth best odds to win the championship this year. He’s weathered losing Jamal Murray for extended time, a new bench/rotation, and managing injuries to his starters. Long shot but he deserves it.

Rico – Jamahl Mosley – Win total has gone up every year since he’s been HC. Year 1: 22. Year 2: 34. Year 3: 37 and counting. Has the Magic on a collision with the playoffs for the first time since 2019. (Lost to eventual champion Toronto Raptors). They have a young core led by Paolo and this Magic team is well on its way to consistent playoff appearances. Mosley has done amazing things with this squad and will continue to do so for years to come. Mosley is more than deserving of this award.

So, again, check our votes. How many of these make the mark for you? Did we miss anybody? Who got snubbed? Stay tuned next week for our follow up!