NBA Awards Watch: Week 4

Most Improved Player

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

Look, I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’ve been riding the Eric Bledsoe Train all summer and it appears as if the evolution to elite point guard is developing in front of our very eyes. The guard has teamed up with Brandon Knight to form a fearsome backcourt duo in the Western Conference and has the upstart, young Phoenix Suns playing like they could sneak into the playoffs.

Averaging 23 points, four rebounds, six assists, and two steals per game on 50 percent from the field is nothing to scoff at and Bledsoe may be staking a fair claim at an All-Star spot already.

Of course, we’ve seen these massive statlines from Bledsoe before, so most of this will depend on his consistency going forward. He’s unlikely to continue at such an efficient tear, but Bledsoe is turning into a mini-Westbrook and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Enjoy the ride, folks, this 25-year-old will be here on your televisions indefinitely.

Bledsoe’s Line of the Week: 11/12 vs. LAC — 26 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 8 TOs, 9-13 FG%
Week Grade: A-

2. Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets (Last Week: –, Up 2)
Can somebody playing in their eighth NBA season really be a viable contender for Most Improved Player of the Year? If anybody can make that case, it’d be the Denver Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari, who has now put some nasty, difficult injuries behind him and looks completely rejuvenated.

Many predicted that the Nuggets would be bottom of the barrel in the Western Conference, but Gallinari’s 17.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 threes per game has the rebuilding team at six wins already.

Unfortunately, Gallinari is prone to put up some offensive duds, but when he’s hitting, there are few players more exciting than The Rooster. If Gallinari can up his three-point clip and chip in a bit more on the assists and steals front, then he’ll be a mainstay here all season.

Gallinari’s Line of the Week: 11/17 — 32 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 3 TOs, 12-19 FG%, 5-8 3-PT%
Week Grade: B

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week:3, –)

Maybe it’s time for me to revisit the actual criteria for Antetokounmpo’s ability to rise up these rankings and certainly it’s possible I’ve put unreasonable standards on the third-year professional. It’s unfair to expect his points per game to sky rocket to 25-plus, but seeing it grow from 12.7 in 2014-15 to 17.8 now is impressive enough on its own.

Enough about being a legend, enough about him destroying the entire league alongside Kawhi Leonard — I’m done with it all, I promise.

OFFSOGA — The Organization For Fair Standards Of Giannis Antetokounmpo is now open! This week, The Greek Freak lead the Milwaukee to an impressive win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they also dropped games against the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, two teams that many assumed the Bucks would be better than this season.

So, yeah, it’s a bit of a mixed bag right now, but Antetokounmpo still has his prints all over anything, it’s only a matter of time until he gets on a tear.

Antetokounmpo’s Line of the Week: 11/14 vs. NYK — 16 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 3 blocks, 2 TOs, 6-18 FG%
Week Grade: B+

Bounced Out: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

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; Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Week 1: Eric Bledsoe
Week 2: Eric Bledsoe
Week 3: Eric Bledsoe
Week 4: Eric Bledsoe

Next: Splash For Infinity