Jazz Season Awards

I haven't really written anything about the Jazz all year, partly because I've been busy with other things, but mostly because of the lockout. It really messed everything up and made me really mad, so while I've paid attention, I have kept my distance this year. The Jazz were so up and down and around this year, I really had a hard time figuring out if we were a good team. The one game I went to, The Return of Jimmer Part II, was a complete let down, as the Jazz showed very little interest in winning that game, let alone making the playoffs. But all of a sudden, Utah started showing some spirit, and here we are — ready to open the first round against the Spurs on Sunday. While I am quite positive we will be crushed by San Antonio, it is nice to be back. So in honor of this unexpected achievement, I am presenting the regular season awards for the Jazz.

Sportmanship Award: Gordon Hayward

"Elder" Hayward really has had an excellent season all year. He's been playing pretty decent defense and getting into a some players' heads, like Delonte West, for example. But the great thing about Hayward is he never retaliates or complains, which is quite refreshing nowadays. He really deserves this award for that "West willy" incident alone, but he's also been a really good sport all year long. He only got one technical foul this year, which was a rather dubious double-tech called on him and Mo Williams. If that's the most trouble he'll get into, then I approve.

Most Improved Player: Gordon Hayward

This isn't going to just be a Gordon Hayward blog, I swear. There were a couple of candidates for this award on the Jazz, like Derrick Favors, Devin Harris (compared to what he did last year), and even Jamaal Tinsley and Josh Howard both had pretty nice comebacks. But in terms of unexpected improvement, Hayward is head and shoulders above the rest. He went from being the why-did-the-Jazz-draft-him guy to the hey-he-could-actually-be-a-legit-shooting-guard guy. Last year, he averaged 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in about 17 minutes per game. This season, 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 30 minutes a game. He played all 66 games and started 58 of them. I always thought he was a good player, but I didn't expect him to become our top shooting guard in just his second season. I still do mourn the loss of Wesley Matthews, but the emergence of Hayward is making it a lot easier.

Sixth Man: Derrick Favors

This really was C.J. Miles' award to lose, and he sure lost it. (Remember he said he'd be an All-Star this year?) Instead it falls to second-year forward Derrick Favors, who really has been having a big impact off the bench lately. Favors is averaging 8.8 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 21 minutes off the bench. His impact is especially grown in the past few games with Tyrone Corbin using the super cool big lineup of Harris, Hayward, Millsap, Favors and Jefferson. I hope Millsap gets better at shooting 3s so he can play more at small forward alongside Favors.

Defensive Player of the Year: Paul Millsap

This award was Raja Bell's to lose, and boy, did he lose it. Instead, it'll go to Millsap, who led the Jazz with a surprising 1.8 steals per game. He also averaged a career high 8.8 rebounds per game, while putting up his usual 16.6 ppg, 2 apg, and 0.8 bpg. He did go into a little funk after he didn't make it to the All-Star game, but he eventually recovered and became a major reason for Utah's success this year. He's done a pretty good job against the other big name power forwards like Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Dirk Nowitzki. He also has a good sense for coming up with big plays when the Jazz need it, whether on offense or defense.

Rookie of the Year: Alec Burks

This really was only a two-man battle for this award, but I felt I needed to recognize Burks' achievements. When Bell, Miles, and Howard went down with injuries, it looked like the Jazz were going to protect their draft pick from falling into Minnesota's hands. But then Alec Burks stepped up and showed everybody why Utah picked him. His ability to get to the rim and his high energy have been invaluable for the Jazz. I do believe that Enes Kanter will have the better career in the long run, but for this season, Burks was the better player.

Most Valuable Player: Al Jefferson

I really debated between Big Al and Millsap on this one, and even considered having a co-MVP, but after the recent big wins over Dallas and Phoenix, I realize that Jefferson is finally becoming what the Jazz have needed for a while now — a go-to guy. Down the stretch of those close games, the Jazz would go to Jefferson whenever they needed two clutch points. Yes, Millsap has been making big plays, but Jefferson's been the one making the tough shots, which, in my opinion, is what the MVP is supposed to do. Big Al led the Jazz in points (19.2), rebounds (9.6), and blocks (1.7). He's learned that passing the ball is a good thing, and he's even started to play a little defense. My biggest complaint is that he takes too many jump shots and doesn't fight to get to the foul line enough (he only averages 2.9 free throw attempts per game, his lowest since he was in Boston). If he can fix that problem, then the Jazz could have a chance to go somewhere with him as the main man.