Fansided

NBA Awards Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns leads two-man race for Rookie of the Year

By Brad Rowland

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives against the defense of Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives against the defense of Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel points from the sidelines in the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Pacers won 97-94. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel points from the sidelines in the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Pacers won 97-94. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

Passing out awards for January in the NBA.

Hello, February.

The 2015-2016 NBA season is now more than three months old, and every team in the league has completed at least half of its schedule. In short, it is time for the intensity (and, frankly, the attention on the sport) to increase, and the more casual fans are beginning to hop aboard to form opinions on where the league is at this juncture.

Our charge each month in this space is to simply gauge the individual award races, and that is what we will do today. From the top coaches to the top rookies and MVP candidates, things are (always) fluid in this space, but today’s list should provide a snapshot of where the races stand with the understanding that there is plenty of basketball left to be played.

Now, let’s get to the categories, beginning with the always riveting Coach of the Year pursuit.

Coach of the Year

  1. Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers – At the time of this post, the Pacers are “only” three games above the .500 mark, and that isn’t the typical profile of a COY front-runner. However, Indiana’s roster is deeply flawed and Vogel has done a tremendous job to lead this group into what would be a playoff berth if the season ended today. The Pacers boast a top-five defense in the league, allowing less than a point per possession, and with the way they are deploying small-ball lineups that is another testament to Vogel’s aptitude as one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA today.
  2. Whoever coaches the Warriors – I’m cheating a bit here because of the circumstances, as Luke Walton gave way to Steve Kerr just a few games ago. Still, Golden State is a jarring 44-4, and whoever gets “credit” for that should be in the mix for COY honors almost by default. It is definitely going to hurt Golden State’s candidacy that no one knows who to vote for, but the numbers are what they are.
  3. Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors – Every few months, it seems as if the NBA world wants to bury Dwane Casey as the coach of the Raptors and, every time, he bounces back. Toronto holds the longest winning streak in the NBA (11 straight victories at the time of this post), and Casey leads this group to a comfortable lead for the number two seed in the East. The Raptors are definitely a talented bunch by Eastern Conference standards, with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan leading the way, but Casey has put this run together without any help from free agent signing DeMarre Carroll, and he has done yeoman’s work this season.

Next: Most Improved Player

Home/Atlanta Hawks