Now that the All-Star break is over, award season is approaching. Will any of the three Miami Heat players who are up for different accolades come out on top?
It may surprise you to learn that NBA top-15 coach Erik Spoelstra has never been awarded Coach of the Year. Among the fifteen coaches, he is among the select few who never attained that position. There can’t be any anti-Miami Heat sentiment present, can there?
In the Defensive Player of the Year competition, Bam Adebayo has experienced the same problem—voter weariness for an honor he has never taken home. Over the past four years, Bam has placed among the top five DPOY vote-getters.
Player of the Year for Defense
The way the other names change is a bit confusing, but Bam’s name stays the same throughout the competition. He’s accomplished enough to get to that peak. The victory of Marcus Smart in 2022 will not sit well with history. That year, Bam missed a lot of games; this season, that is not the case.
Nevertheless, DPOY may be the sole award that has already been resolved. The defensive mainstay of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert, is stealing the trophy. In terms of points per 100 possessions, the Timberwolves defense is the best by a wide margin. Most of the credit goes to Gobert because when he’s at the rim, opponents hardly even glance in his direction.
Although Bam has played a great defensive role this season, team ratings are very important in this competition. The key to winning it in the 2020s appears to be having the best defender on the top defense (Jaren Jackson Jr. won it last year, with Memphis having the top defense). In terms of defense, the Heat rank sixth; they are respectable but not outstanding.
Bam, who is getting close to peak performance, sustains Miami’s defense. Though Gobert has it all figured out for this year, his moment will come.
Rookie of the Year
Rookie of the Year was, depending on your priorities, arguable. Even if Victor Wembanyama has improved as a player on his own, Chet Holmgren is helping the team win more games. Though both deserve it, Wemby is the clear favorite. As a rookie, it’s difficult to impact winning. Playing beside an MVP front-runner like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would allow Wemby to accumulate more victories.
Where does that leave “Rook-Vet” Jamie Jaquez Jr. if the race is decided outside of these two formidable machines? There’s no scoffing at the All-Rookie first team. Merely six Heat athletes attained those levels. The Paul George clone Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets has recently shown up and is fighting Jaquez for third-best rookie.
If Jaquez’s outstanding play continues, he will be added to the Rookie First Team. With other notable rookies like Dereck Lively II and Brandin Podziemski, things might get interesting. Scoot Henderson will start for Portland the remainder of the season.
Jaquez has nothing to be concerned about if he can relive the magic from his breakthrough 14-game run in December (14 PPG, 48 FG%). It’s been refreshing to have the sly tap-dancing post-player (1.09 PPP on post-ups). He’ll be a part of the Heat’s postseason lineup during this last push.
Most Improved
The most interesting race, aside from Sixth Man of the Year, is Most Improved. Voters could lean in a variety of ways.
You could give Bulls guard Coby White a reward and use the “this guy actually got better” approach. Last season, White averaged 22.6 minutes per game, but Ayo Dosunmu would often take his place in the closing stages. White got a fair shot from the Bulls, but he wasn’t prepared.
Now it’s a different tale. White has a good argument to be this year’s best player for the Bulls. The broad range and general shot-making are exceptional. He averaged less than ten points a game the previous season and now scores 19.6 this one.
Jalen Johnson, a young star swingman for the Hawks, did improve, but he now plays 20 more minutes every night. He plays so much more now that his skills have improved, but in these situations, opportunity is just as crucial as skill.
The favorite in the betting is Tyrese Maxey. He made the same tremendous leap that Ja Morant did in 2022.
(On a related note, Ja winning spoiled the honor. In his postseason debut, he scored thirty points per game, won Rookie of the Year, and was selected as the second overall pick. Ja was going to be big. It was just a question of time. Ja’s victory created a repugnant precedent. The honor is given to “out of nowhere” athletes who surprise us; it is not given to breakout rookies who were surefire All-Stars.)
Despite being the league’s quickest player, Maxey was already a talented player. He didn’t recover from anything or exhibit remarkable development akin to that of a Coby White. Duncan Robinson from 2024 demonstrates how far perseverance and hard effort may bring you. The true example of a comeback is him.
For the most of 2023, Robinson was not in the starting lineup. He shot an icy-cold 33% from deep and nearly made a career-low 61 3-pointers. In the playoffs, he was more akin to the warm equator, averaging 41% and 43 three-pointers in 23 games.
Robinson is back and more than likely to continue his good streak into 2024. He’s got a new pastime. Robinson has now made 56 rim shots in his career, and the All-Star break is almost over. He’s attacking closeouts, scouting the court, and putting the ball on the floor. No longer is Robinson a one-trick pony. If you push yourself too much, he will smash you. This Smitty maneuver demonstrates Robinson’s progress.
Is Robinson merely receiving more playing time, or has he genuinely improved? Both of them are combined in it. Robinson played less than 17 minutes a game last year and was never going to rediscover his rhythm, but he also lacked confidence and handling. We may safely claim that he recovered. Although a second-half surge could propel Robinson to the forefront of conversation, I would co-sign Coby White taking the title.
