The third quarter of the season has come and gone in the blink of an eye and the awards races have been shaken up. Injuries were the story of the quarter with LeBron James, James Harden, Joel Embiid and LaMelo Ball all missing time, to name a few. So now that all teams are under 20 games remaining it is the perfect time to check back in on all the awards to see where things stand over the home stretch.
It is time for one final quarter pole update to all the major NBA awards as the races for each, and the postseason, reach a fever pitch.
We will go in the same order as we did a little over a month ago, found here. There has been a noticeable change in the races of these awards if not the ultimate choice for some. For each award, the selections at the quart and halfway marks will be listed for posterity as well as the honorable mentions. Some of the awards will have quite a few names, considering how close the races are. Others, where the voting should not be all that close, will be shorter. Ultimately much of this is subjective but the case will be made to set apart the decisions we make.
The awards races this season feel even more immeasurable this year than any. The sample size is smaller than normal and the injuries are even more frequent. The congested race for the postseason ad play-in, specifically in the Eastern Conference where the gap between the fourth and ninth seeds is just three games. The picks today will likely change countless times between now and the end of the season, making the process all the more entertaining. Please note that all stats are accurate as of April 12, 2021.
Let’s get started.