NBA Awards Predictions
MVP
Chris Paul 
Chris Paul is my frontrunner for MVP because of a few key reasons. 1. The Clippers are playing very well and have a legitimate shot at having the best record in the NBA and 2. Chris has been the most efficient player in the NBA with a historic high PER and he’s averaging less than 2 turnovers a game while having more than 8 assists per game and 3 steals per game. On top of all that he is shooting 47% percent from the field and a whopping career high 44% from the 3 point line. If he keeps this up which is very doable and his team continues to win even if they end up with the 2 seed in the Western Conference then I see him winning the MVP. Chris Paul’s situation is very similar to Karl Malone’s situation when he won MVP. Both are in their 11th year of their career and both hadn’t won a championship. The year before Karl Malone won the Chicago Bulls had went 72-10 and Michael Jordan won MVP. Karl Malone mostly won because of voter fatigue and that his numbers were very good. Ironically last year the Warriors went 73-9 and Stephen Curry won MVP for his second straight year. This is a perfect opportunity for Chris Paul to take home the MVP trophy at the end of the year.
Sixth Man of the Year
Zach Randolph 
Zach Randolph just recently transitioned to a bench position after the Grizzlies decided they wanted to play with a faster pace with JaMychal Green. Zach has played excellent in the new bench role averaging 14.4 ppg and 8 rpg in only 21 minutes per game. He is a big reason why the Grizzlies have been so successful this year and he seems like a shoe-in for sixth man of the year. The only other player I see being able to take this award from him is Marreese Speights. “Mo Buckets” as most of social media calls him has provided a much needed spark to the Clippers bench and is one of the main reasons they have the best record in the NBA at 13-2. He is currently averaging almost 10 ppg in only 15 minutes per game. He is such a big impact to the team in only a short amount of time.
Rookie of the Year
Joel Embiid 
Joel Embiid is without a doubt the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. For what Joel has been able to do in limited minutes is amazing and no other rookie is even having a remotely good season. The frontrunner going into the season was Kris Dunn and now all of that hype has died down. I never really believed that Kris Dunn was going to be rookie of the year and always thought that Joel would win the award. The only other players who have the potential to have a breakout season is Jamal Murray and Marquese Chriss. Jamal has been seeing bigger minutes and has been producing more and the same goes for Chriss. But, at the end of the day Joel Embiid will run away with the Rookie of the Year honors.
Bayou Sports Brothers 