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NBA Awards Watch: Week 2

By Ben Nadeau

November 2, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making a three-point shot against Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 119-69. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 2, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making a three-point shot against Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 119-69. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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November 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) plays for the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
November 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) plays for the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Improved Player

1. Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns (Last Week: 1, –)

The Most Improved Player, of course, will take more than a few weeks to emerge from its cocoon as a beautiful, new butterfly, so we’re feeling confident about mostly leaving this category mostly the same for now.

Eric Bledsoe, the often forgotten star in the Western Conference, has gotten off to a hot-and-cold start, but he’s liable to go off at any time, as we saw against Portland on Halloween. Although he’s still learning how to co-exist with Brandon Knight on a daily basis, Bledsoe is the type of athlete will provide contributions across all statistical categories even if he’s not shooting well.

Thus far, Bledsoe is tied for 18th in PPG at 21, tied for 12th in SPG at 2.0, and should get even higher in the coming weeks. At the end of the day, Bledsoe will be depended on like this for the entire year, so, if anything, expect these categories to rise. The Suns and Bledsoe have a couple winnable games this week against the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons, so look for Bledsoe to shine. If the Suns keep making strides in the Western Conference and Bledsoe stuffs the stat sheet, he’ll be in this race all season long.

Bledsoe’s Line of the Week: 10/31 vs. POR — 33 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 2 TOs, 12-21 FG%
Week Grade: B

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week: 2, –)

So, Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the first game of the season due to a suspension, but came back looking like the improved player everybody has been waiting for. Antetokounmpo has been aggressive, particularly so with the ball — in fact, and this may come as a surprise, The Greek Freak is ninth in the NBA in scoring at 22.7 points per game. Yes, that’s not a typo!

Perhaps more impressively, he’s doing it on a blistering 58 percent from the field, so if he can keep up this tear, the Milwaukee Bucks will be a force to be reckoned with. Although the Bucks are 1-3, they’ve got an incredibly winnable next week as they’ll face off against the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and Denver Nuggets.

Something tells me that if the Bucks are to turn around their early-season struggles, Dark Giannis will likely be at the forefront.

Antetokounmpo’s Line of the Week: 11/1 vs. TOR — 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 1 block, 0 TOs, 8-12 FG%
Week Grade: B

3. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards (Last Week: Unranked, Up 1)

Washington’s budding superstar scoops up the final spot here as he’s been on an absolute roll to start the season. Honestly, it feels like we’ve been waiting for Beal to explode like this for a very long time — is that moment finally upon us?

Beal has put up totals of 24, 26, and 26 points, while hitting 10 three-pointers over that three-game span, good for sixth in the scoring race at 25.3 points per game. This is the type of sidekick basketball to John Wall that we’ve been waiting for in Washington and I’m ready to just sit back and enjoy it.

If the Wizards are truly be the biggest threat to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ return to the NBA Finals, they’ll need Beal to score like this all year.

Additionally, the Wizards are 2-1, having picked up solid, if not spectacular wins against the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks to start the season, but they’ll get their toughest early-season challenge tonight as the Spurs come to town.

If Beal was comfortable tracking Khris Middleton, Sasha Vujacic, and Victor Oladipo around, just wait until he has to chase Danny Green or Tony Parker for 40 minutes, can he still ball out then?

Beal’s Line of the Week: 10/30 vs. MIL — 26 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 5 TOs, 9-16 FG%, 5-6 3P%
Week Grade: B+

Bounced Out: Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

Honorable Mentions: Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics; Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers; Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks; Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves; Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers; Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

Week 1: Eric Bledsoe
Week 2: Eric Bledsoe

Next: The Right Pick