Philadelphia 76ers: 2020 NBA award ballots

Christopher Kline

• MVP — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Defensive Player of the Year — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Sixth Man of the Year — Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Most Improved Player — Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Rookie of the Year — Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Coach of the Year — Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors

1st team All-NBA

• Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
• James Harden, Houston Rockets
• LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

2nd team All-NBA

• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
• Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
• Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
• Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
• Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

3rd team All-NBA

• Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
• Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
• Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

1st team All-Defense

• Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
• Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
• Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

2nd team All-Defense

• Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
• Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks

1st team All-Rookie

• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
• Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
• Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors
• Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

2nd team All-Rookie

• Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
• Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers
• P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets
• Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards

This has been a strange NBA season for countless reasons. For starters, after a four-month intermission brought on by an unprecedented global pandemic, the award ballots will only cover part of the regular season. Everything happening in Orlando right now is off the table. And even before human existence was irrevocably altered, this season always had a unique vibe.

There are a lot of potential routes when filling out the ballot this year. Very few awards are set in stone. Different writers will bring different perspectives, and the final ballots could feature a rare degree of variety.

Take Most Improved Player for example — there are over five players who, in a normal year, would have a convincing case for the award. Luka Doncic went from really stinkin’ good to top-four MVP candidate in his second season. Trae Young did something similar on a lesser scale, going from Rookie of the Year runner-up to All-Star. Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram — heck, even Furkan Korkmaz — are all more traditional choices who have cases.

Fine, maybe not Korkmaz.

Adebayo won a heated race for me. And I very much intended the pun. He went from a valuable member of Miami’s rotation to a centerpiece on both ends. He’s one of the best frontcourt defenders on the planet, and he has progressed immensely on offense. Not only can he score efficiently on dives to the rim, but he’s averaging 5.1 assists per game. His instincts have come a long way since Kentucky.

As for MVP, it’s more of a no-brainer than people pretend it is. LeBron was great this season — he’s always great — but Giannis put together the superior statistical season on the superior team. Milwaukee was historically good this year, and Antetokounmpo is a significant reason why. You can lament his “lack of skill” all you want, but he’s a physically unmatched athlete who can pass like hell and defend all over the floor. He’s the best defender in basketball, LeBron is not.

I’m as big a Zion Williamson proponent as anyone, and I’m of the opinion he’s already a top-20 impact player when locked in and healthy. Williamson will join the MVP conversation in the near future. When it comes to this season, however, he simply didn’t play enough games to pry Rookie of the Year from Ja Morant, who is special in his own right. Before the hiatus — during the time frame we’re supposed to consider — Memphis was a playoff team in the West.

To turn the focus on Philadelphia, Ben Simmons was really good on defense this season. He’s the most versatile defender in basketball, he spent more time than anyone else guarding All-Stars, and his proclivity to force turnovers is a special gift. Versatile on-ball defenders are as valuable as ever, and Simmons deserves real consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.

That said, Antetokounmpo is pretty much untouchable. As a weak-side rim protector and roamer in Milwaukee’s league-best defense, no one creates more havoc for offenses than Giannis. He covers large swathes of space without breaking a sweat. He can body up a center, bottle up a guard on a switch, or use his wingspan to suffocate passing lanes on an entire side of the floor.

He is Defensive Player of the Year. As great as Simmons was, there’s really no argument here.

As for Embiid, he earns the All-NBA nod. This is a slightly controversial pick, as Rudy Gobert and Bam Adebayo have compelling arguments. But in the end, despite the consistency of Gobert and Adebayo this season, Embiid has an unrivaled ceiling at the center position. He is the lifeblood of Philadelphia’s offense, the anchor of an elite defense, and the most rawly talented big man in basketball.

Embiid’s talent wasn’t always on full display this season, and he dealt with a few minor injuries. But when he’s on, Embiid is the top center in basketball. And he was on enough to earn All-NBA honors despite Philadelphia’s shaky season overall.