Moore & Wob: Our Way-Too-Early NBA Awards Leaderboard

The NBA season may be just 10 games old, but it's never too early to discuss the major end-of-the-year awards.

As opposed to the traditional “Here’s why Player X can win the MVP award,” we’re going to try something different — let’s pretend like the season ended today for the following awards:

• Most Valuable Player
• Rookie of the Year
• Sixth Man of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Coach of the Year
• Executive of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year

Here's the leader in the clubhouse for each … with 17 holes to play. — Matt Moore and Rob Perez

Most Valuable Player

WOB: Steph Curry is averaging 5.9 made 3s per game. That’s not a typo. If he manages to keep this historic pace over 82 games, he would finish the season with almost 500 made 3-pointers.

The 72-win 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, arguably the greatest NBA team of all time, made 544. As in like every player on the roster combined.

How is it even feasible that this guy can get better from his unanimous MVP season?

Curry is averaging a career-high 32.5 points per game (best in the NBA) and his 31.3 player efficiency rating (PER) is his best since the 2015-16 season.

We could sit here for hours rattling off statistics and posting highlights about how good this guy is, but it ultimately comes down to two things for me:

1. Steph has overtaken Draymond Green as the most important player on the game’s greatest roster. His usage rate is 31.7%, the second-highest of his career, and simply put, he is the one player the team cannot afford to lose. The entire offense revolves around his ability to stretch defenses 35-feet from the rim and it’s making life easier for everyone else involved.

2. Steph already has the ever-important “did you just see that? yup, he’s the MVP” moment.

Every MVP winner has one — the night Westbrook broke the triple-double record, Harden’s crossover of Wesley Johnson on national television — and Steph's came early, a the 51-point game vs. the Wizards where it seemed like almost half of his 11 three-pointers were from the logo.

I mean … come on:

Note: Klay Thompson caught up to Curry in that last category. 

MOORE: I'm with you on this one. If Curry continues at this pace, he can just overwhelm everyone else. He'll win the narrative vote behind a return to what made 2016 so magical for everyone: effortlessly knocking down 3-pointers.

Let's be clear on this: Despite how much Curry fans think he is "disrespected," the media at large LOVES Steph for good reason and wants to vote for him.

Curry is a much more endearing figure than Kevin Durant because he didn't spearhead his recruiting and he took a step back to help get Durant comfortable. No one took less heat on the Warriors than Curry when KD joined. If anything, he became a sympathetic figure.

Going forward, though, keep an eye on Anthony Davis.

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This sure feels like the 2004 season, when Kevin Garnett won MVP, and the Timberwolves made a playoff run — only it won't be another three years before Davis is dealt if things fall apart.

The Pelicans fell apart with Davis out last Thursday against the Blazers, and even though they got stomped by the Spurs in his return, they should start racking up wins again.

That differential will weigh heavy with voters who ignore context in opponent and other factors and will just see "they suck without him."

Rookie of the Year

WOB: This is a four-horse race: Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Jaren Jackson Jr.

Ayton was an easy decision for me BEFORE the weekend started.

On what is arguably the worst basketball team in the league, Ayton had posted a PER rating of 21.6. Not only was that the best of anyone on the roster, he was the only player with a positive plus/minus (+2.4) not named Devin Booker (+1.3), and he had an individual ORTG/DTRG of 124/115. That’s a +9 net rating for you non-mathematicians.

Just how bad is this Suns team? Before Sunday night's home victory vs. Memphis, Josh Jackson’s rating was -52. Devin Booker was -10. Trevor Ariza was -19.

While there is no doubt Doncic leads the league in vines, mixtapes, and Sportscenter Top 10s, Ayton had been the anchor for a team that might not win 10 games without him.

Doncic’s advanced analytics are all in the red and his efficiency is, to the decimal point, at the league average. “The Mavericks stink” is not an excuse when Ayton has been able to do what he has on the Suns.

Is he “the next Greg Oden?” Or “the next great NBA big man”? We’re a long way from that, but, this dude is a walking, breathing grown-man bucket.

With all that said, the one rookie who has already answered the questions is Trae Young.

I was the first person to make fun of his Summer League Opening Night performance in which he launched back-to-back airballs from range that Steph would even think twice about.

But since then, Young has not only proved his talent is worthy of the highly controversial draft day transaction that saw the Hawks trade the rights to Doncic down for him, but he's cemented himself as an NBA starter who is making his teammates better.

This man's passing is already elite just nine games into his career.

He can get you a tough bucket at any time despite being the smallest guy on the court …

And he's already got the "this is my team and I'm here to fight in the trenches no matter who you are" swag to him.

Furthermore, to support the eye test, his stat lines from five separate games have been crazy for an undersized rookie:

• 35 PTS, 11 AST
• 24 PTS, 15 AST
• 24 PTS (9-13 FG)
• 14 PTS, 10 AST (in 27 MIN)
• 20 PTS, 9 AST

There's a reason why his PER (16.0) is above the league average (15.0), despite Young leaving a lot to be desired on the defensive side of the ball, playing on one of the worst teams in the league, and only shooting 32% from 3-point territory.

Similar to Isaiah Thomas' "King of the Fourth" campaign with the 2017 Boston Celtics, Young's offensive production has been so good he can make up for being a traffic cone at the other end.

I'm not sure he can keep this up over the course of an 82-game schedule, but that's why they play the games.

I was leaning Ayton, but I'm a prisoner of the moment and think we've got to give it to Ice Trae after this weekend's performances.

Thoughts?

MOORE: I'm with you on Trae. He's definitely the leader in the clubhouse. Young racked up 15 assists on Saturday night. His raw numbers are going to come out looking great between his big-scoring and big-assist nights.

The Suns are so bad and Ayton has vanished in some key matchups, compared to Young who has shined in some bigger spots.

Jackson has almost no chance because no one's paying attention to anything Memphis is doing, despite him helping the best team of the bunch and his performance against Rudy Gobert last week.

Doncic is brilliant and appreciated but his usage isn't high enough to get him there. I think it's a two-man race between Young and Doncic right now.

Sixth Man of the Year

WOB: Brace yourselves, because the revolving door of Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford and Eric Gordon finally has competition — Derrick Rose!

Has a former MVP won the Sixth Man of the Year award? No, but there’s a first time for everything.

Rose's 18.8 PER is the best he’s posted since the first major knee injury, he has developed an outside shot (37.0% from beyond the arc, highest of his career) the same way Greg Maddux pivoted to the changeup after he lost his fastball, and he already had his “[!!” moment in the first 50-point game of his professional career.

Williams and Gordon have to still be the favorites to win the award by season's ends, but, for now, they are kissed by a rose on the grave.

MOORE: Aaaaaand Rose is hurt. His narrative is going to be tough to get past. There will be a lot of voters eager to engage him on this; that's clear from the outpouring of support he received after the 50-point fluke (yeah, I said it).

There will also be a requisite conversation about Rose's civil rape trial, which is up for appeal later this month. No matter the outcome of the appeal hearing, Rose's past will continue to be part of the conversation, and that's going to turn away many a voter.

Three guys I want to throw in the ring here: Marcus Morris, who has been huge for the Celtics as he clearly chases a new contract; J.J. Redick, who could win by virtue of the Sixers' weird decision to start Markelle Fultz for first-halves only; and Spencer Dinwiddie, who may be the best player on Brooklyn despite coming off the bench.

All three are top five in bench scoring. It should be noted, though, that the Clippers continue to bring Lou Williams off the bench and he leads all bench scorers, which has historically (and stupidly) been the only thing that matters with this award.

Most Improved Player

WOB: This is going to be without a doubt the most volatile to track throughout the season. Just off the top of my head, these names come to mind:

• JaVale McGee
• De’Aaron Fox
• Caris LeVert
• Nikola Mirotic
• Josh Richardson

But the cream of the crop thus far: Zach LaVine, who has exploded onto the scene as a potential All Star who’s not there to just participate in the dunk contest.

LaVine currently had a 47/34/86 shooting split. He's averaging 26.6 points, attempting 19 shots per game and his 19.9 PER leads all Bulls rotation players. He should simultaneously be considered for Comeback Player of the Year, as well, because he’s doing all of this after tearing his ACL just a year and a half ago.

I could make a similar case for pretty much anyone on that list, but it's been impressive to see LaVine come back from one of the game’s worst injuries and prove that he’s still a “take off for a dunk and just never come back down” kind of guy. Plus, his all-around offensive game has gotten significantly better.

MOORE: This will be another category in which Rose will likely get traction. JaVale is a great pick, considering his impact defensively on the Lakers so far and the continuing redemption narrative, which voters like. The advanced metrics are in on him, as well.

One more name to throw on here, because he's not a second-year guy: Nik Stauskas. Sauce Castillo is suddenly a big part of what Portland's doing, and that's wild, given his career arc.

Coach of the Year

WOB: Brad Stevens. How has this not happened yet? This is on “James Harden probably deserved MVP the past couple seasons so we have to give it to him this time no matter what, if he’s one of the finalists” territory. He’s the best X’s and O’s coach on arguably the best team in the East.

Enough already, put some respect on this man’s name. I don’t want to hear “he hasn’t even made a Finals yet…” Let’s see if your favorite coach could beat LeBron in a seven-game series with Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, and Marcus Morris playing starter’s minutes.

Stevens has earned it, let’s recognize him once-and-for-all.

MOORE: I made the case early this year that Stevens is the runaway, but boy the early season narratives could be tough here. For one, the Celtics have kind of underperformed early. Two, teams like Denver and Toronto have gotten out to huge starts.

Nick Nurse managing the Kawhi situation as a first-year head coach while Toronto wins the East? That's a powerful tale. Don't rule out 2015 winner Mike Budenholzer, either. The Bucks are primed for a huge jump based almost solely on his coaching influence.

Executive of the Year

WOB: Masai Ujiri. He took a marker out from the casino pit boss. He went to the ATM and maxed out the cash advance. It’s all in the middle.

The reason why he’s my Executive of the Year is because he put the franchise in a situation that it can’t lose. They have the best player in the Eastern Conference at the peak of his powers on their roster.

Their realistic ceiling is the NBA Finals and they are, in my opinion, the one team that could actually win two games against the Warriors in the playoffs.

Ujiri single-handedly made this happen and put together the best basketball team the city of Toronto has ever seen and may ever see for some time — an 11-player deep rotation of guys who would start on just about any other team in the league.

More importantly, should Kawhi leave in free agency this summer, Ujiri has positioned the franchise to blow everything up and completely rebuild without the burden of any long-term contracts haunting the salary cap. I should rephrase that, they won’t even "rebuild" — they can "reload."

As described in our discussion about the "fairness" of the DeRozan/Kawhi trade:

They have a single player on the books (Norman Powell) with a guaranteed contract for the 2020-21 season.

Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, Fred VanVleet are all guys who will immediately become attractive trade pieces next season to every fringe-contending team looking for an upgrade.

The number of draft picks Ujiri could get in return for those players would make even Sam Hinkie jealous — and give Toronto a blank canvas for free agency.

Ujiri wins again. Flawless victory.

MOORE: Leader in the clubhouse is Ujiri, no doubt. Just to be able to pull this off and have the institutional strength to handle all this change — not only with Leonard, but firing Dwane Casey and bringing in Nick Nurse — that’s a big deal.

Lurking behind him the whole way will be Magic Johnson, though. The media will want to vote the legendary former player who brought LeBron to the Lakers as the guy. He’ll have every opportunity if the Lakers get going.

Defensive Player of the Year

WOB: This is without a doubt the most difficult one to predict this far in advance. The contender's individual and team statistics/advanced analytics are so close that they simply serve us no good at the moment. So I'm going to rely on the eye test — resulting in Kawhi as my 1a, Draymond 1b and then Josh Richardson and Rudy Gobert a distant second.

I just can't get over how much better this Raptors team is with Kawhi patrolling the paint and doing things like this:

And this…

Draymond has endless amounts of highlights himself, but as of this moment — the noticeable upgrade in the Raptors' rim defense is eye-popping. They already had Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, and a defense that ranked fifth last season in opponent field goal percentage, but now they have a nuclear weapon.

Kawhi has single handedly given Toronto an advantage it has never had: the ability to strike fear into opposing offenses. THAT alone is enough for me to give him the edge.

MOORE: DPOY is tough to get a read on this early, because stats play a larger part in it than maybe any other award. You can watch a guy and know he’s spectacular, MVP stuff, but most voters know now that capturing defense is way more complex.

Draymond Green is the definitive leader in the clubhouse based on hype; he’s getting that kind of talk from a high-impact media market. But the numbers are also too wonky to get a feel.

Kawhi Leonard would probably get a lot of votes at the moment despite the Raptors actually not being top-five in defensive rating.

Denver has the third-best defense, but no one would put even Paul Millsap, who’s been brilliant, in the discussion yet.

The leader right now would be Draymond, but this award, more than any other, is impossible to get a clear read on.