NBA Quarter Pole Awards: Early season MVP and more

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics passes the ball against Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 117-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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As the NBA reaches the quarter pole mark (everyone except the Washington Wizards who had a two-week layoff) it is time to give out some way too early awards to mark the occasion. Things will likely change over the course of the season but this gives us a chance to acknowledge some of the early season trends and track the progression of these awards.

So for those purposes, we will be looking at the six most debated awards throughout the year: Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. All-Star and All-NBA are important as well but this selection is about the individuals.

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Now that almost every NBA team has played 18 games it is time to decide the quarter-pole award winners for each major award, including MVP.

For the sake of discussion, I will outline the case for each winner and also the two honorable mentions at this time. Given the large number of games remaining, these are likely to change but the narrative of coming out of the gate strong can often carry a candidate to late season.

Considering the nature of the early season a team like the Utah Jazz who have put together a great winning streak have an advantage. The Philadelphia 76ers have had an easier strength of schedule thus far, leading to their players looking even better.

Now with all necessary context and quantification given, it is time to get into the first quarter-pole NBA awards.