OKC Thunder 2018-19 Awards Special -Predicting winners with a view to potential OKC contenders

OKC LONG SHOT AT AWARD

Tamberlyn Richardson

I know the logical answer is to pick a personal favorite Steven Adams for MIP.  But, Nerlens Noel couldn’t get much lower in GMs minds after his uneventful past few seasons. Therefore, my hot take is Noel thrives in OKC. Nerlens rediscovers the game which had GMs drooling for him as a draft prospect to lead the NBA in blocks, is among the league leaders in rebounding and helps spearhead OKC’s bench to top five. This results in the hot dog lover vying for MIP.

Lawrence George

Steven Adams for MIP. The big kiwi never gets his due and this season should be the year Adams finally sees the fruits of his labor. Adams deserves recognition and is one of the most underrated centers in the NBA.

Rylan Stiles

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Jerami Grant-MIP-If he develops a league average shot or better, along with the fact he will see a minutes boast, he could get in the running for Most Improved.

Jordan Buckamneer

Russell Westbrook – MVP

Asad Ali Jamal 

I think Paul George has a shot at the Defensive Player of the Year award this year as well as the MVP, perhaps. He was not highly voted last year, but PG13 was impressive defensively last season and will likely improve this season with better team chemistry. He should also get some votes for MVP this season with added offense over the last offseason.

Gideon Lim

Billy Donovan for COY: Revive Nerlens Noel, knock the new philosophy out of the park and make it to the second seed – all that, and Donovan can follow in Dwane Casey’s footsteps.

Alex Mcewen

DPoY – Steven Adams:  This should be Andre Roberson‘s award, but the defensive stopper will likely miss too many games to compete for the award. Adams like Gobert has strong defensive tenacity, he could very well compete for and ultimately win the award, becoming OKC’s first DPoY.

This wraps up the 2018-19 Awards special. Let us know in the comments section if you agree, disagree or have a hot take the TI Team missed.

One more sleep until tipoff and the listed players begin their campaign toward collecting some hardware. More importantly, the OKC Thunder begin their march toward a benchmark season. Thunder Up!