He Should Win This Award

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Defensive player of the year, Rookie of the Year, sixman of the year, the most valuable player, the best shooter of the year. Well, that one's not a real NBA award, but it would be cool if it was.

[00:00:12]In fact, if there was an end of season award for the NBA's best shooter, who would be the winner this season? Maybe Steph Curry, Luke Canard, Khan Canipple, Isaiah Joe. Well, according to the numbers, there's actually one clear winner here. Crafted NBA, a site that curates some of the most interesting and insightful NBA metrics, has a stat called shot quality. It's a unique metric that uses multiple variables like spacing and shooting efficiency and converts a player's shooting ability and shot selection into a point scale from 1 to 100, one being the worst, you better swing the rock to someone who can shoot and 100 being the best. Feel free to shoot any shot you'd like. Now, if an award for shooting actually existed, it would be a bit of a formality because in 2013, the player with the highest shot quality in the entire NBA, and the winner of the sharpshooter of the year award would have been Steph Curry. In 2014, the winner would have also been Steph Curry. In 2015, the winner would have been Steph Curry, and the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that one, and the year after that. In 2020, Duncan Robinson would have won the award because Steph was injured and only played five games.

[00:01:20]And then in 2021, Steph would have went right back to winning the award for the following four seasons. He is unanimously the greatest shooter of all time, and for a good reason. But in 2026, for just the second time in 14 seasons, the player with the highest shot quality in the entire NBA isn't Steph. It's Luke Canard with a shot quality rating of 95. beating Steph at his own game and making him the 2026 Sharpshooter of the year. But why stop here? Let's create some other NBA awards and find the rightful winners of the 2026 NBA season.

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[00:03:01]Jackson, no whistle. Turnover.

[00:03:05]Black on the drop.

[00:03:09]Take that with you.

[00:03:13]>> When I first saw this play, I wasn't quite sure what I had just witnessed. In fact, the first time I saw this play wasn't from a clip. It was this photo where there are so many bodies in this picture, it's hard to even tell what's going on. And then I saw the clip and my brain exploded. You get a poster. You get a poster. Everyone gets a poster. I mean, this has got to be the best play or singular moment of the season. It was so good that it should have got some award or something. So, let's give it one. The 2026 I can't believe that just happened play of the year award goes to Anthony Black for his dunk on the entire Grizzlies roster. But, we've got a lot of other awards to hand out here today.

[00:03:52]So, let's bring them out and see our nominees. Now, the most coveted individual award, the NBA's MVP award, has been taken over and selfishly hoarded by international players for the past 7 years. And at the current rate, I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. So, in an effort to bring some artificial glory back to the States, we are handing out our own most valuable player award, the American MVP award for the best US-born player in the NBA this season. And here are the nominees. Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Edwards, and Cade Cunningham.

[00:04:25]All four of these players were the offensive engines of their teams. A couple of them helped anchor elite defenses, and each of them navigating their teams throughout the entire season, proving that although we don't have a Jokic or a Wemi or a Sheay or Luca or Giannis, we can still compete with the best of them. But while every one of these guys has a case, the winner of the 2026 American MVP award is Cade Cunningham. This season, Kada has been the driving force behind Detroit's breakout. And the biggest reason one of the league's longest running disappointments has turned into the number one seed in the East with 60 wins. The last time Detroit won 60 games, Ben Wallace was still in a Pistons jersey. And the time before that, Isaiah Thomas was hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Eastern Conference has a new juggernaut, and Kade is the reason why. He finished the season averaging 24 points per game while ranking second in the NBA in assists. But the Pistons didn't just need Cad's 2410 and five a game to find this new edge. They've needed his leadership, his maturity, his decision-making. A true floor general that makes everyone around him better.

[00:05:30]Kade spent his first few seasons in the league burdened with the curse of being a number one pick and forced to inherit the struggles of an organization incapable of finding success. But Cade's pedigree as a world-class point guard and leader have been the catalyst to what is now a contender in Detroit. He has become exactly the kind of franchise cornerstone the Pistons had spent years searching for. And even with an injury that forced him to miss 11 games late in the season. The body of work is too strong to ignore. And for that, Cade Cunningham is our 2026 American MVP.

[00:06:03]Now, our next award is the Scotty Pippen Award for the best sidekick in the NBA this season. Named after a player who could have been a stellar number one option, but spent his years in the NBA as the best number two in the league.

[00:06:15]It's a sacrifice not many players are willing to make. Often a thankless job.

[00:06:19]But every Batman needs a Robin. And here are the best Robins of this season. Chad Homegrren, Jaylen Duran, Jamal Murray, Derek White, Stfan Castle, and Austin Reeves. Not only are all of these players capable of leading a team, for many stretches throughout the season, they were given the task of leading their team. Three of these players making their first all-star appearance this season. Jamal Murray, Jaylen Duran, and Chad Homegrren. And although all of these guys are deserving of this award, the Scotty Pippen sidekick of the year is Jamal Murray. This season, Murray put up 257 and four while shooting nearly 44% from three. Career numbers across the board in his ninth season. While Joic was out for a month sidelined with an injury, Jamal Murray kept the Nuggets afloat with a winning record while averaging 28 and8 without Joic. Murray finished the season with nearly 12 estimated wins, the 11th most in the entire league and even ahead of MVP candidates, oftentimes being the closer in these games and carrying the Nuggets across the finish line as he's done for many years. The all-star nod was well earned and this season he has proven just how valuable he is to the Nuggets as the most capable and productive second option in the NBA. And for this, Jamal Murray is our 2026 sidekick of the year. The next award we're handing out today is the 10th man of the year award.

[00:07:40]Now, as the name suggests, it's similar to the six man of the year award, but instead of going to the best player off the bench, this award is for the best, most impactful player in the league who is way down the rotation. A spark plug off the bench who you may only see for 20 minutes a night. And sure, there are nine players on their team who will see more minutes than them on a game-to-ame basis, but every great team needs a great tenth man. And for this award, our nominees are Rob Williams, Alex Caruso, Paul Reed, and Mitchell Robinson. And here are some of their notable stats throughout the season, like minutes per game, win shares, and net impact. All four of these guys are playing way above the rotational spot and could very well be the first man off the bench, even a starter on some teams. But maybe their value comes from them knowing their role as the 10th man and playing it so well.

[00:08:30]And although you can make a good case for each of them, the 10th man of the year award goes to Alex Caruso. Caruso is the epitome of a great tenth man.

[00:08:39]Throughout the season, Caruso's playing time varied heavily with fluctuating rotations, team injuries, and the integration of young developing players.

[00:08:47]Caruso filled just about every role the Thunder needed him to. A player who almost never needs the ball to make a difference and is willing to do all the dirty work to help his team succeed.

[00:08:57]Look at his counting stats and you'd think Caruso was a complete non-factor.

[00:09:01]Six points, three rebounds, and two assists a game. But look at the impact he has on OKC. And you'll see a player that leaves his imprint on the game every time he touches the court. One of the only players in the league who can score zero points and be an absolute positive for his team on his limited 18 minutes a night. In fact, Caruso has a net on off of plus eight this season, meaning the Thunder are eight points better with him on the court and the highest of any bench player this season despite him being the 10th man in their rotation. He's an allNBA caliber defender, a veteran leader, the kind of player to lose a shoe midplay and still find a way to get the stop. And for that, Alex Caruso is our 2026 10th man of the year. Now, the next award we are handing out today is the prime James Harden one-way player award. For the best offensive player in the league this season, the NBA has a defensive player of the year. They have the most valuable player of the year, but they don't have an offensive player of the year award.

[00:10:02]So, let's give one out. But there's a bit of a twist to this award because it's not just for the best offensive player in the league this season. It is specifically for the player who gave their team the most offense while providing little to no defense. the player with the largest gap between their offensive excellence and their defensive liability. Going against everything we've been taught, this trophy will be the award for the player who loves to play offense but can't play defense worth a lick. And our nominees for this award are Kee George, Steph Curry, Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brunson, Michael Porter Jr., and LaMelo Ball. All of them with incredible offensive numbers and abysmal defensive numbers this year. But statistically, there's a really comprehensive way we can go about determining the winner here, and that's by using Crafted NBA's offensive plus minus and defensive plus minus metrics.

[00:10:52]These two metrics factor in a ton of different variables like shot quality, turnover rate, offensive load, and creation on offense, and also things like force turnovers, deflections, fouls committed, and defensive versatility on defense. They then take these numbers and rate every player based on these categories amongst every other player in the league to find their overall league percentile. Here's a player this season who has a crafted offensive plus minus in the 97th percentile. So, he's really good on offense. And he has a crafted defensive plus minus in the 15th percentile. So, he's considerably bad on defense. Any guesses on who this player is? It's LaMelo Ball. And the gap between his offense and defense isn't nearly as big as some other players.

[00:11:36]Here's Michael Porter Jr. with a 94 on offense and an eight on defense. Still not nearly the worst. Here's Keonte George, Steph Curry, Jamal Murray, and the 2026 James Harden one-way player of the year award winner, Jaylen Brunson, who is in the 98th percentile on offense and the third percentile on defense. a whopping gap of 95%.

[00:12:02]Making him the 10th best offensive player in the NBA and the 10th worst defensive player in the NBA. A gap that is truly remarkable. For perspective, James Harden himself at 36 years old is in the 97th percentile on offense and the 18th percentile on defense, giving him just a 79% difference between his offense and his defense. Jaylen Brunson is a one-way demon, and for that, he shall be rewarded as the one-way player of the year. The next award we're handing out today is the Kobe Bryant Get It Out the net award for the player who is least likely to pass the ball once he gets it in his hands. And our nominees are Jaylen Green, Kawawaii Leonard, Dylan Brooks, Lorie Markin, Cam Thomas, and Klay Thompson. It takes a special kind of confidence to truly believe the best option available for your team is always yourself. Now, the eye test alone will tell you more often than not when these guys touch the ball, their teammates have essentially two options.

[00:13:02]Crash the board or get back on D. And there's a few different ways we can measure just how trigger happy these players are. Like how often they receive the ball versus how often they pass and the rate at which they shoot the ball while they're on the court. And based on these factors, this season, no one has exemplified this award better than Jaylen Green. After being sidelined for the first half of the season, Jaylen Green has sped up his return to form by using every game as his own personal shootaround. Despite averaging just 26 minutes a game this season, Jaylen Green averaged 16 shots a game. This means he ranked 171st leaguewide in minutes per game and 35th leaguewide in field goal attempts per game. The man is taking as many shots as Victor Webbinyama while playing Kyle Kosma minutes. To put into perspective the green light Jaylen Green has had this season, here are the top 50 scorers in the league and the number of shots they average per minute on the court. Now, even amongst the best players in the league, about half a shot per minute is an average clip. Only about 30 players in the entire league exceed this rate. And for the most part, they are the best bucket getters in the league. Where is Jaylen Green in all of this? He's right here in between two MVP candidates who are attempting the most shot attempts per game in the entire NBA. Now, Jaylen Green firing at a rate on par with Luca Donic wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he was actually hitting these shots. But instead, not only is Jaylen shooting the ball faster than just about everyone in the league, out of 206 qualifying players this season, Jaylen Green has a true shooting percentage that ranks 199th. Second in shooting rate, 199th in shooting accuracy. A remarkable combination of shooting the ball as many times as humanly possible with no regard of the outcome whatsoever. I expect his numbers to improve next season as he continues to recover and integrate himself into a new offense, but there is no denying his status this year as the rightful winner of the 2026 Kobe Bryant Get It Out the net award. And for our last award, we have one of my favorites, and that is the craziest statistical achievement of the season award.

[00:15:18]Unbelievable stat lines, box scores, season totals, the what did I just witness kind of events that were so unlikely that they deserve an award of their own. And for this award, our nominees are Bam Adabio's 83-point game.

[00:15:32]The Detroit Pistons going from the laughingtock of the league to a 60- win juggernaut. Nicole Joic becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both assist and rebounds.

[00:15:42]Cooper Flag becoming the first and only teenager to score 50 points in an NBA game. And Coniple becoming the first rookie in NBA history to lead the league in three-pointers. Now, all of these are ridiculous in their own way. Who would have ever thought that in a league featuring the greatest shooters in the game's history, a rookie would drain the most threes in a season, or that we would see a player become simultaneously the best passer and rebounder in the NBA. But the most remarkable statistical achievement by a landslide is Bam Adabio's 83-point game. An achievement so crazy that I watched it with my own eyes, and I still can't believe it happened. Bam's 83 points was so unbelievable that it actually pissed people off. It's the kind of game that will leave future fans of the NBA puzzled looking back. Who is Bam Adabio?

[00:16:30]How did he score 83 points? And who allowed this to happen? And whether you acknowledge Bam's 83 as the true modern scoring record or not, the fact remains that he did in fact drop 83 points in a single NBA game. Not just one of the most shocking events of the season, but one of the most shocking events in recent NBA history. And for that, Bam Adabio and his 83 points wins the award for the craziest statistical achievement of the 2026 NBA season. And there you have it. Eight new NBA awards I just made up and the eight well-deserved winners. Let me know what you think. If you could add an award to the end of the season, what would it be? And who do you think would be the recipient? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. And as always, until next time.