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NBA Awards Watch: Three-Man Race for Rookie of the Year?

By Brad Rowland

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dribbles the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) defends during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dribbles the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) defends during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) looks to pass the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of their NBA game at United Center. Bulls won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) looks to pass the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of their NBA game at United Center. Bulls won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Improved Player

  1. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls – Even with recent injury woes, there is no one with a better claim to this award than Butler. His shooting has cooled a bit (45.8% FG, 34.7% 3-PT) but those numbers are sharp improvements over a season ago (39.7% FG, 28.3% 3-PT) and his offensive game has vastly matured. No one, including myself, saw Butler coming in terms of development into a 20-point scorer, and the 6-foot-7 swingman has been able to keep his intensity defensively. Tom Thibodeau may not be the best at handling workload, but as long as Butler remains upright for the rest of the season, he’s the front-runner.
  2. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz – Last season, Rudy Gobert played 9.6 minutes per game, shot 48.6% from the field and appeared to be generally lost on the court. Now, the “Stifle Tower” is a bonafide force on both ends. Gobert’s ascent isn’t insane given his impeccable tools, but the 7-footer is perhaps the league’s most dynamic shot-blocker (3.4 per 36 minutes) and his rebounding (9.0 per game in only 25.0 minutes) has been tremendous as well. Since the All-Star break, Gobert has been operating at an elite level, including 14.2 rebounds per game, and the sky is the absolute limit if he continues at this rate of development.
  3. Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat – Prior to this season, Hassan Whiteside had appeared in just 19 NBA games, and he was wholly uninspiring during that time. By now, you likely know that Miami’s big man has been tremendous in his limited time, and he is averaging 11.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in only 22.9 minutes per contest. It remains to be seen if Whiteside can be an annual contributor, but worries about “flash in the pan” status have evaporated as the season has continued.

Next: 6th Man of the Year

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