NBA Awards Watch: Week 2
By Ben Nadeau
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics (Last Week: 2, Up 1)
Although I still believe that the Celtics winning 50-plus games is an absolutely absurd prediction, it appears as if Isaiah Thomas is one of the league’s clear cut nominees for Sixth Man of the Year. Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley can’t create for themselves as well as Thomas can and the Celtics have needed him and his sharp shooting and playmaking to close out games.
If you’re not a believer in Thomas yet, try this — the Top 10 in scoring thus far includes a smattering of names that have, by all accounts, achieved superstar status — Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin — and yet, there he is at No. 11, scoring 22.3 per game.
Yeah, he’s doing that in just 28 minutes per game as well.
Thomas’ Line of the Week: 10/28 vs. PHI — 27 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks, 3 TOs, 10-19 FG%
Week Grade: A-
2. C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week: Unranked, Up 2)
I’m fully willing to admit that I didn’t buy all the C.J. McCollum pre-season hype for this award and I begrudgingly put him in the Honorable Mentions category in Week 1. Well, what a difference a week makes, huh? McCollum has poured in 86 points over four games and has already proven that he’s one of Portland’s most reliable scorers.
The Trail Blazers may not be good in 2015-16, but McCollum will be able to shoot to his heart’s content, for better or for worse. With plenty of opportunities forthcoming for third-year pro, McCollum will be a staple here for the entire season, so get used to it.
McCollum’s Line of the Week: 10/28 vs. NOP — 37 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 0 TOs, 14-22 FG%
Week Grade: B+
3. Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week: 3, –)
The freshly signed forward in Cleveland has gotten off to a less than ideal start to the 2015-16 campaign, but he’s shown signs of turning it around. As we mentioned last week, he’s still likely shaking off rust as he didn’t practice with the team all summer, so we’re not willing to drop Thompson out just yet.
As rotations in the crowded frontcourt reveal themselves, we’ll start seeing Thompson more and more, we believe. The hard-working Thompson, despite his slow start offensively, has secured 38 rebounds in four games, which is, all things considered, a solid output.
Thompson’s Best Line of the Week: 10/30 vs. MIA — 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 1 block, 0 TOs, 6-9 FG%
Week Grade: B-
Bounced Out: Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans
Honorable Mentions: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls; Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors; Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets; Ty Lawson, Houston Rockets; Paul Pierce, Los Angeles Clippers; Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers; Lou Williams, Los Angeles Lakers; Kevin Martin, Minnesota Timberwolves; Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans
Week 1: Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans
Week 2: Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Next: The Next Russell Westbrook