LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.– The NBAs MVP race is over. Is the fight for every other individual regular-season prize.
The league told groups Friday that none of the seeding games will be taken into account for any postseason award, and that choosing those honors– such as All-NBA, novice of the year and defensive gamer of the year– will be finished before the July 30 reboot of the season at Walt Disney World.
Usually, those votes are cast closer to the end of the regular season. So the postseason races are still going in lots of cases, but the private award goes after are now complete.
“The decision to leave out seeding video games from awards voting makes sure a fair procedure in which gamers and coaches from all 30 groups will have the very same opportunity to be honored as top performers for the regular season,” the NBA composed in a memo sent to teams Friday. The Associated Press got a copy of the memo.
1 RelatedOnly 22 of the leagues 30 teams are taking part in the NBA reboot.
The leagues decision– it was not unforeseen– means that Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpos ampaign for back-to-back MVP awards technically ended more than 4 months back when the season was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Antetokounmpo won his very first MVP award after balancing 27.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per video game last season. This season, hes anticipated to be an MVP front-runner again with averages of 29.6 points and 13.7 rebounds for the Bucks– who have the leagues best record.
The NBAs decision also indicates that New Orleans Zion Williamson, who has appeared in just 19 video games this season, wont get to make a late push to attempt to catch presumed top-rookie front-runner Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Its unclear if Williamson will even be with the Pelicans for resuming night on July 30 when they deal with the Utah Jazz in the very first video game at the Disney school.
Williamson left the NBA bubble on Thursday morning to address an urgent family medical matter, and the Pelicans stated he means to return at an unspecified date.
Statistical champions, such as the scoring, rebounding, helps and takes titles, are technically up for grabs through the end of the seeding video games in mid-August. The league revealed that portion of the strategy when the schedules for the eight seeding video games were released last month.
Most of those stat-trophy races are all but mathematically chose. Houstons James Harden has a commanding lead in the scoring race as he surrounds his 3rd consecutive title because category– and ends up being the eighth player in NBA history to win the scoring crown in at least 3 straight seasons.
The others who won the scoring title in a minimum of three successive seasons: Michael Jordan (who did it in two separate streaks), Wilt Chamberlain, Kevin Durant, George Gervin, Bob McAdoo, Neil Johnston and George Mikan.
Clevelands Andre Drummond has a substantial lead in the race for the rebounds title. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers would remain ahead of second-place Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks in the assists-per-game race even if James plays in all 8 seeding games and doesnt sign up a single help.
If the 35-year-old James wins the help title, and it would take a mathematical oddity to keep that from taking place, he will be the second-oldest gamer to declare that award. Steve Nash was 37 when he won his last assists crown.
And James is also in line to be, without a doubt, the earliest player in NBA history to complete a season averaging a minimum of 25 points and 10 helps. Thats happened only nine other times in the NBA, the most current to do so being Russell Westbrook when he was 29 in 2017-18.
The takes race is still unsure; Philadelphias Ben Simmons leads at 2.13 per video game, while Chicagos Kris Dunn– presently in 2nd place– completed his season at 1.98 per video game.
