Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie denied in Most Improved Player voting
By Phil Watson
Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie was denied the NBA’s Most Improved Player award Monday night, losing out to Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers.
In a decision that surprised few, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo capped his breakout 2017-18 season by being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player at the 2018 NBA Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., Monday. Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Houston Rockets center Clint Capela were the other finalists.
The 26-year-old Oladipo, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, was acquired by the Pacers last July along with power forward Domantas Sabonis from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the trade that sent Paul George to OKC.
Playing for his third team in three years, Oladipo provided the Pacers solid defense from the 2 spot, leading the NBA with 2.4 steals per game, but also became their go-to guy on offense, averaging a career-best 23.1 points per game on .477/.371/.799 shooting.
Oladipo’s per-36 minutes numbers told the story:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/25/2018.
Capela, 24, continued his strong progression in his fourth year with the Rockets since being taken 25th overall from Switzerland in 2014.
He led the NBA in field-goal percentage at 65.2 this season while averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.8 rebounds to go with 1.9 blocks in 27.5 minutes per game for Houston, which finished the regular season with an NBA-best 65 wins.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/25/2018.
But none of the three finalists has traveled further than Dinwiddie, the Brooklyn guard who was waived twice by the Chicago Bulls in a three-month span in 2016 and started 2016-17 in what was then called the D-League with the Windy City Bulls.
In December 2016, the Brooklyn Nets came calling with a contract offer and Dinwiddie was back in the NBA.
After playing in just 46 NBA games, along with 19 in the D-League, with the Detroit Pistons in his first two NBA seasons, averaging just 13.3 minutes per game, Dinwiddie got his first shot at real NBA rotational minutes.
He delivered 7.3 points and 3.1 assists in 22.6 minutes per game for the Nets over 59 games, making 18 starts.
But that was just the opening act for a breakout in 2017-18, when he played 80 games, starting 58, and put up 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 28.8 minutes per game.
Along the way, Dinwiddie won the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend and cemented himself as a legitimate NBA player.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/25/2018.
Dinwiddie is the fourth Nets player to finish in the top three for the Most Improved Player honor and the first since Devin Harris finished second to Danny Granger of the Pacers, coincidentally, in 2008-09.
The other runner-up finish by a Net was by the late Drazen Petrovic in 1991-92, who was runner-up to Pervis Ellison of the Washington Bullets in 1991-92.
Kenny Anderson (1992-93) and Nenad Krstic (2005-06) were third-place finishers in the Most Improved Player voting.
The last Net to win a major award was Derrick Coleman, who was named Rookie of the Year in 1990-91.
The evening kicked off with Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers being named Rookie of the Year.
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz picked up the Defensive Player of the Year award, Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers was named Sixth Man of the Year and in a bit of an awkward moment, Dwane Casey, fired by the Toronto Raptors after they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs, was named Coach of the Year.
Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors was given the NBA Cares Community Assist award for his work through the Kevin Durant Charitable Foundation.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Oscar Robertson, the Hall of Fame guard from the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks who played from 1960-74. Robertson’s battle against the reserve clause resulted in a 1976 Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to free agency for players.
Amir Johnson of the Philadelphia 76ers received the Hustle Award, while Jamal Crawford of the Minnesota Timberwolves was named Teammate of the Year.
The Play of the Year, as selected by fans, was the Clutch Shot of the Year, a buzzer-beater by LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 7.
Daryl Morey of the Houston Rockets was named Executive of the Year.
The Sager Strong award, in honor of late NBA broadcasting icon Craig Sager, was presented to Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo for his humanitarian efforts in his war-torn home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Next: 10 Best Nets from the first NBA decade
The final award of the night, the NBA Most Valuable Player award, went to James Harden of the Rockets, who won it after runner-up finishes in 2014-15 and 2016-17. He became the third Houston player to win it, joining Moses Malone (1978-79 and 1981-82) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94).