Philadelphia 76ers: 2020 NBA award ballots

Christopher Kline

Joel Embiid | Sixers (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Our ballots for the 2020 NBA awards season. Which Philadelphia 76ers make the cut?

The Philadelphia 76ers are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference. It has been a season of disappointment, both from a competitive standpoint and from an individual performance standpoint. Joel Embiid, most notably, has seen his production slip across the board in 2019-20.

Even so, the Sixers will still have strong representation in the 2020 awards conversation. We already broke down which Sixers will compete for awards. Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle are all names to watch.

With the rules set for this year’s ballot-casting, we decided to convene and cast (unofficial) ballots here at The Sixer Sense. Lucas Johnson (@LucasJohnsonNBA), Adam Gilbert (@adam_gib11), Jonathan Geib, and myself all compiled full ballots, including the individual awards, All-NBA teams, All-Defense teams, and All-Rookie teams.

You can read our preseason predictions here, for comparison’s sake. And, without further ado…

Lucas Johnson

MVP — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Defensive Player of the Year — Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Sixth Man of the Year — Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
Most Improved Player — Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Rookie of the Year — Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Coach of the Year — Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors

1st team All-NBA

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

2nd team All-NBA

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

3rd team All-NBA

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Paul George, LA Clippers
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

1st team All-Defense

Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

2nd team All-Defense

Kris Dunn, Chicago Bulls
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks

1st team All-Rookie

Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

2nd team All-Rookie

Coby White, Chicago Bulls
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers
R.J. Barrett, New York Knicks
Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards

Like in the preseason, I hold fast to the notion that Giannis Antetokounmpo will repeat as the MVP this season. Despite winning the honor last season, he’s primed to win it again this year by having even better stats. He’s improved his scoring, rebounding, and 3-point percent this season. He’s the best player on the best team and there seems there is no one to legit challenge him.

I had Joel Embiid winning Defensive Player of the Year in the preseason, but Anthony Davis has anchored an impressive Los Angeles Lakers defense that ranks second in points allowed per game (106.8) and third in defensive rating (105.5). This season he’s averaged 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game.

Adam Gilbert

MVP — LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Defensive Player of the Year — Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
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

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

2nd team All-NBA

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

3rd team All-NBA

Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

1st team All-Defense

Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks

2nd team All-Defense

Kris Dunn, Chicago Bulls
Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

1st team All-Rookie

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

2nd team All-Rookie

Coby White, Chicago Bulls
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers
R.J. Barrett, New York Knicks
Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards

I can get away with my first team all-NBA selections by labeling LeBron as the position he played for most of the regular season: point guard. From there the rest of the lists fall into place.

I do have Jokic listed above Joel Embiid for availability reasons. Joel Embiid is the best center in the NBA, but Jokic is undoubtably the second best and is available nearly every night. In addition to that, the team success the Denver Nuggets have enjoyed over the last two seasons with Jokic as the on-the-court leader can not be denied. That is why Jokic is first team and Jo is second.

Simmons takes home third team honors for his ability to be a force on both ends of the court. I’m still not a Jayson Tatum fan, but the numbers speak for themselves and garner third team recognition.

Listing Ben Simmons as a guard for first team all-defense allows me to get Giannis, Davis, and Lopez on the frontcourt list. Each of those players are so deserving of a first team listing as Giannis has been a superstar all year, while Davis and Lopez have patrolled the paint like few others can.

I love what Kris Dunn brings to the table as a second team all-defense selection. He’s a bit of a lesser known player who averaged two steals a game and was tremendous defending the point guard position. Joel Embiid was left off the list for availability reasons. Gobert and Adebayo were available all season and put up similar numbers.

Matisse Thybulle sneaks onto my all rookie second team. I may have made that selection with my 76ers goggles on too tight, but I love what he has brought to the table on both ends of the floor. He has been a major contributor off the bench all year.

Zion sneaks onto the first team because of how successful he has been in such a short time. Villanova product Eric Paschall has been everything and more for a Warriors team that survived an injury recovery season and will certainly contribute off the bench next year. Brandon Clarke was the sleeper pick of the draft for a Grizzles team that can’t seem to miss when drafting players.

RJ Barrett put up numbers, but they were largely empty numbers because the Knicks had no one else to give to ball to. Therefore, he drops to second team. Herro and Nunn were a feel-good story on a Miami team that knows how to develop young talent. Lastly, I love what Coby White brought to the Bulls and Rui Hachimura brought to the Wizards. Coby proved he can manage a game from the point and stroke the long ball with ease. Rui proved he can contribute to a team with a dominate backcourt duo in John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Giannis is undoubtably a superstar. The guy is leading the best team in the east to what feels like a sure-fire NBA Finals appearance. He stuffs the stat sheet every night and is surrounded by the perfect personnel to effectively compliment his style of play. However, despite all of that I have Lebron James as my league MVP.

Let’s take a minute and think about everything LeBron is doing at 35 years old. He’s played in nearly every game at an average of 35 minutes per game. That’s a ton of time for someone who has logged 17 seasons in the NBA. In those minutes LeBron is primarily playing the point guard position (a position he hasn’t played in his career) scoring 25.5 points per game and dishing out 10+ assists. He’s got the Lakers at the top of the tougher western conference the year after the team underwent a massive overhaul and is looking to win a title for his third franchise. LeBron is out of this world. LeBron is the MVP.

Every time I pencil Ben Simmons in for Defensive Player of the Year, I delete it, try to think of a player more deserving, and eventually end up writing down his name again. I know this seems like a homer pick and maybe it is because I’m such a 76ers nerd, but I do truly, objectively believe Ben Simmons deserves this award.

Simmons averaged over two steals a game throughout the season and his versatility as a defender allows him to guard positions 1-5. Need him to bang in the post with Bam Adebayo? He’s big enough to do it. Want him to stay with James Harden on the perimeter? Yeah, he’s proven he can do that as well. After watching Ben single-handedly win a game against the Pacers with his defense (no not the most recent Pacers game) I’ve had him as my DPOY.

The Sixth Man of the Year award was tough to give away. I will concede that the Clippers bench is like something we have never seen before. It seems like Lou Will turns in productive season after productive season. This year he dipped in performance slightly, but still averaged 18 points a game. As if Lou wasn’t enough of a punch off the bench, Montrezl Harrell averaged 18 points a game off the pine as well. That duo appears unmatched.

However, I believe this accolade belongs to Dennis Schroder. The Oklahoma City Thunder should not be anywhere near the playoff picture, but here they are in the Orlando bubble gearing up for a deep playoff run. Schroder has averaged 18.9 points per game shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep. On a team full of role players, SGA, Chris Paul, and Schroder have risen to the top of the pack as stars. He’s a huge reason OKC has been surprisingly successfully, and therefore, Dennis Schroder is my 6MOY.

There were so many players that saw stark improvements in their game this year. Davis Bertans went from back of the bench in San Antonio to untradable sniper in Washington. Brandon Ingram increased his scoring average in New Orleans and is having his best season shooting the 3 since he has been in the league. Doncic has found a way to get even better averaging a 28 point near triple double. However, unfortunately none of these candidates have improved more than Bam Adebayo.

Bam doubled his scoring average, went from averaging seven boards per game to be a walking double-double, and is the second option on a Heat team with a real chance to come out of the East. Bam has been phenomenal all year as Miami once again displays their unmatched ability to draft effectively and grow talent from within.

No, the Rookie of the Year is not Zion. The rising superstar has only played a few games north of 20 all season long. Beyond that he hasn’t shown himself to be much more than a high-flyer. Now when I make that claim it must be understood that I think as a rookie, Zion is already one of the best athletes in the game. He has the body of a linebacker, yet he floats in the air like MJ. Zion is going to be very good once he is given a chance to develop. However, this year my rookie of the year is Ja Morant.

The Grizzles have made it very clear they are rebuilding. With the departure of Mike Conley everyone from the grit and grind era of the team is gone. What remains is a young nucleus with a ton of promise led by Ja Morant. Similar to OKC Memphis is another team that drastically overachieved. When the first year of a rebuild ends in a playoff appearance or near playoff appearance you know you’ve gotten off on the right foot. Morant has led the charge for the Grizzles all season averaging 18 points per game and dishing out seven assists. What he has done with a team looking to start over cannot be overlooked and that is why he deserves to be ROY.

They really don’t miss a beat in Toronto, do they? Even after Finals MVP, perineal NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard left for the bright lights of Los Angeles the Raptors find themselves in the exact same spot they were last year — second in the eastern conference. That is an unprecedented accomplishment that makes me believe Nick Nurse deserved more credit for that 2019 NBA Championship than he was originally given.

The Raptors rotation is smooth, and Nurse seems to run them through a wide variety of defense sets with ease. Everyone can shoot. Everyone can defend. Everyone understands their role. The Raptors are going to be a real problem in the playoffs again even without Kawhi Leonard and Nurse deserves all the credit in the world.

Jonathan Geib

MVP — LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Defensive Player of the Year — Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Sixth Man of the Year — Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City Thunder
Most Improved Player — Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Rookie of the Year — Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Coach of the Year — Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder

1st team All-NBA

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

2nd team All-NBA

Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

3rd team All-NBA

Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

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

Kris Dunn, Chicago Bulls
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

1st team All-Rookie

Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

2nd team All-Rookie

Terence Davis, Toronto Raptors
Kevin Porter Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers
Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers
Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors
P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets

The Most Valuable Player award this year has been a two-man race since the All-Star break between LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. I think most believe Giannis will edge LeBron this year but consider that LeBron may be having his best season ever…ever, in his 17th season…17th season in the NBA!

He leads the league in assists with 10.6 per game, which is incredible considering he is also scoring 26 points per game. His court vision and I.Q. are unmatched and maybe another reason LeBron should win this year is because there was a span of about eight years where he should have won every year, but the voters got LeBron fatigue. He only has four MVP awards, and I realize four is a lot but he was (is) the best player on planet for more than four years.

Ben Simmons winning Defensive Player of the Year may seem biased, but he is not garnering the attention he should for his defensive game. He leads the league in steals and is the only player in the NBA that can guard all five positions effectively. Knock his shooting all you want, but Simmons is an elite defender.

Ja Morant edges Zion for Rookie of the Year, mostly due to Zion missing the majority of the season to injury. Yes, he balled out when he returned, but Ja averaged 18 points and seven assists per game and is a key reason the Memphis Grizzlies currently hold the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were easily the most surprising team in the NBA this year. After trading Paul George and then Russell Westbrook for an “aging” Chris Paul, the Thunder were widely considered to be entering rebuild mode as a franchise. Twelve short months later and the Thunder currently hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference and look dangerous with Paul leading a roster of young, talented players.

Billy Donovan deserves heaps of credit for getting CP3 to buy in and help bring along this young team as well as assisting in the growth of Sixth Man of the Year, Dennis Schroder. Nick Nurse has done a fabulous job of navigating a post-Kawhi Raptors team and I strongly considered him for Coach of the Year. However, Donovan and the Thunder were unquestionably the most overachieving team this season.

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.

Christopher Kline

Staff Writer, FanSided.com