The Spurs should earn multiple end-of-season awards

After the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, head coach Mitch Johnson had high praise for Keldon Johnson, who led the team with 24 points.

“We are a team with an MVP candidate, multiple All-Stars, multiple All-Defensive NBA candidates, and every single one of our players has said he’s the heart and soul of our team,” Johnson said. “For the team that he is on and the circumstances that I just laid out, with the record that we have, I would find it very hard-pressed to find a better candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.”

KJ is just one of the many members of the team who should be considered for end-of-season accolades. Victor Wembanyama could be the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Castle could join him on the All-Defensive team, Dylan Harper should be in the running for an All-Rookie team, and Johnson himself is in the running for Coach of the Year.

SB Nation polled readers this week on who should win some of the NBA’s most important awards.

The most interesting finding was that Wembanyama was the favorite to win MVP based on the poll. Wembanyama is averaging 24.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3 blocks while shooting 50.4% from the field, 35.6% from three, and 81.8% from the free throw line. Wembanyama’s offensive numbers don’t quite stack up with other MVP contenders like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, but his defensive impact is immeasurable. There is no perfect defensive stat, but Wembanyama leads the league in individual defensive rating per 100 possessions at 102. The Spurs have a 106.9 defensive rating when he’s on the court and a 117 rating when he’s off. Teams have to change their entire offensive strategy to account for Wembanyama’s presence.

Wembanyama would be the first MVP to average under 25 points per game since Steve Nash in 2005-06. If he gets the votes, his all-around defensive dominance and team success will be leading factors for voters.

The poll also displayed what could be the tightest race for end-of-season awards. Johnson and Detroit Pistons’ head coach JB Bickerstaff are neck-and-neck for Coach of the Year. Both coaches have similar candidacies. They took good young teams to another level, overcoming preseason expectations to establish them as championship contenders. Both teams have two All-Stars in Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Duren, and similar talent to build out their rosters.

Currently, the Spurs hold a better record than Detroit at 53-18, while the Pistons are 51-19. San Antonio also swept the season series, going 2-0 against the Pistons. You could argue that those factors give Johnson the edge. Bickerstaff is more likely to win his conference, with the Boston Celtics 4 games back in second place, and the Spurs still 3 games back, chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder for best in the West. As the poll indicates, it’s tough to decide who will win the honors when the season ends.

San Antonio has one of the best records in the NBA, so it makes sense that they will be top of mind for end-of-season award voters. There is a real chance the Spurs could take home serious individual hardware before they make their push for the biggest award of them all: the Larry O’Brien trophy.

To see the betting odds for the awards, use this link: https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba