The postseason begins tomorrow and the Golden State Warriors are part of it. Mind you, before we tackle that issue, we are going to take a look at the awards the Warriors players have won this season.
The “trophies” in question are the usual ones: MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, 6th Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year. We also added an All-Warriors first team.
Just in case you were wondering, the Warriors World staff voted on these awards.
And so without further ado, the Warriors awards.
MVP: Stephen Curry
This one might be the easiest vote of all of them. Stephen Curry lead the Warriors in points, assists, steals in 3-pointers made. Also, he stepped his game up after the All-Star break and produced 26 points, 7.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 47.6 percent field goal shooting and 46.1 percent 3-point shooting.
Curry was consistently good in the first half of the season, but in the second part he was simply sensational. It felt as though he made every big shot on his way to shattering the single season 3-point field goal record.
He was voted unanimously as the team MVP.
Defensive Player of the Year: Klay Thompson
Thompson’s individual defense this season was unquestionably remarkable. He had a few issues early on in the season but quickly rectified them and became one of the Dubs’ ace perimeter defenders.
Typically he drew the tough assignments and did a more than respectable job. One of his most impressive showings occurred on February 27 at Madison Square Garden.
Carmelo Anthony was going nuts and drawing fouls on just about every one and bullying his way to the hoop. He finished the night with 35 points.
Mind you, once Klay Thompson became his primary defender, it became far more difficult for the All-Star to get his points. Thompson pushed him farther out on the perimeter, remained disciplined against pump fakes and contested every shot.
Thompson wasn’t a stopper on this night, but he made life a living hell for Anthony.
He was nearly the unanimous top pick for the award. Andrew Bogut came in second in the voting process with Draymond Green earning the third spot.
6th Man of the Year: Jarrett Jack
The eye test alone revealed that Jarrett Jack often made the team better. The offense ran smoother and seemed far crisper when he was on the floor.
As the primary ball handler, he made Stephen Curry an off-ball threat that ran off screens with Klay Thompson and made defenses sick to their stomach.
Per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool, the Warriors posted a negative scoring differential with Jack on the bench and a positive one with him on the hardwood.
The offense was league average without the backup point guard and somewhere in the top 10 with him on the floor.
Jack was instrumental to the Warriors season and is undoubtedly the Dubs’ 6th Man of the Year.
He was voted unanimously as such. Carl Landry came in second while Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green were tied for third.
Rookie of the Year: Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes had some nights where he played like a rookie but he also had games where he looked like a stud. His perimeter shooting and post game seem to be coming along nicely.
His defense is at times uneven but he’s held his own for the most part, which is impressive in its own considering his lack of experience. He scored in double figures 36 times this season and had double-digit rebounding numbers five times. Also, he made at least half of his shots in 39 contests.
First year players are normally inconsistent and consequently unreliable. Barnes had a few such instances, but for the most part he was an impact player this year regardless of how little he produced at times in the box score.
He was nearly a unanimous selection. Festus Ezeli obtained one of the first place votes and finished second in the process while Draymond Green landed at third.
All-Warriors Team
- Stephen Curry
- Jarrett Jack
- Klay Thompson
- David Lee
- Andrew Bogut
Three players were unanimous choices: Stephen Curry, Jarrett Jack and David Lee. Quite frankly, it makes perfect sense. They were the most productive as well as most consistently reliable players on the team throughout the season. As these three players went, so did the Warriors.
Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut both received the second most amount of votes, albeit for far different reasons.
Thompson had some ups and downs during the 2012-13 campaign but eventually finished out the season strong. During the month of April, he posted 20.1 points per game on 47.4 percent field goal shooting and 47.5 percent 3-point shooting.
Bogut’s fixture on the All-Warriors team was less than unanimous because of his availability. He was a terrific rebounder and deterrent at the rim for the Dubs this year and also helped out with his passing from the post. But the Aussie only appeared in 32 games this season.
With the awards decided, the next step for the Dubs is the postseason.
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