Dallas Mavericks roundtable: Who will win the NBA end of season awards?

Most Improved Player

Caris LeVert

“Caris LeVert. I played around with the idea of taking Jonathan Isaac from Orlando or Bam Adebayo from Miami, but ultimately settled on LeVert. LeVert averaged over 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists last year before getting hurt 14 games into the season. When he came back, he had a lot of rust to knock off and wasn’t the same LeVert we saw at the beginning of the year. I expect LeVert to come into this season healthy and motivated and finish the season with similar numbers to how he started last year. If he can hover around 20 points a game, I think he walks away with the award.” –Sean Bush

John Collins

“It probably could have been for the 2018-2019 season, but I can still see John Collins being the frontrunner for Most Improved. Last year, Collins averaged right under 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. With the addition of a couple of rookies, the floor should open up a lot more for Collins to operate offensively. Unfortunately, Collins was severely overlooked last year probably due to the Hawks’ lack of success. With an improved team and most likely on the verge of playoffs, Collins should generate more interest.”  –Josh Gamel

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. On a rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder team with Chris Paul potentially on the trade block, the door is open for a new star or leader for this team and SGA has all the tools and abilities to do so. It will be a sink or swim situation for him and I think he will swim. –Keatn Rast

Bam Adebayo

“Bam Adebayo. Not only does he have one of the best names in the NBA, but without Whiteside on the Heat to eat up minutes, Adebayo will be primed for being the franchise center. He’s entering his third year, which seems to be the year when many players make the leap into stardom.” –Charles Allen

OG Anunoby

“OG Anunoby improved last year compared to the year before. He jumped to 7 points per game and almost 3 rebounds per game. That isn’t relatively high and can very easily be beaten this year with Anunoby receiving role playing minutes. After the end of this season, Anunoby can most certainly average about 17 points per game, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.” –Arsal Hussain

D’Angelo Russell

“The Golden State Warriors have managed to make nearly every player who plays on the wing a substantially better defender and three point shooter. For a player with as much skill as D’Angelo Russell already has, his expedited development will only grow further. Steve Kerr and the Warriors staff will give Russell a consistent three point shot, and turn him into a capable perimeter defender. The notion that Russell will be traded without hesitation is overblown, as the Warriors can still turn him into a superstar.” –Evan Siegel

Delon Wright

“It’s time for a Dallas Mavericks player to earn the Most Improved Player award and I think that one of the best candidates out there is Delon Wright. Wright never really got his feet wet when he was with Toronto, but really started to blossom after being traded to Memphis. Now with a spot in the starting lineup, I expect to see an even bigger jump in his numbers.” –Kohl Rast