With the 2018-19 NBA regular season officially in the books, it’s now time to hand out awards to those most deserving.
Nearly three years ago, the NBA introduced a brand new way to announce the annual awards given out for performances in the regular season. Rather than host individual press conferences for the winners likely in the midst of intense postseason battles, Adam Silver created the NBA Awards, a dinner spectacle stationed in late June where each trophy would be handed out in the span of just a few hours.
This idea was great for the NBA in stretching its appeal and storylines past the end of the playoffs, but at the same time, it’s also left fans waiting in anticipation longer than usual, desperate to put an end to the arguments that have gained immense steam since the start of the regular season way back in October.
The 2018-19 regular season has sparked plenty of debates regarding these prestigious awards by both casual fans and media analysts alike. There are no clear-cut candidates or obvious frontrunners for nearly all of them, sparking the conversation even further.
After so much speculation about what a given player may do in order to pull ahead in a given trophy race, it’s refreshing now to have the full 82-game season wrapped up, leaving no room for a late run by a competing player. The facts are the facts, and with hard data, it is time to hand out awards for what was once again a thrilling and entertaining regular season before the playoffs steal the show.