Awards Watch: Down to the wire

Pete Hooley for NBL.com.au

With just three rounds to go in the regular season, eyes have started to turn towards the NBL’s night of nights, where the MVP of the league will be crowned. It is arguably the most anticipated awards night in some time, with so many of them likely to come down to the remaining games to find the winner.

About six weeks ago, it looked as though they could begin engraving Bryce Cotton onto his sixth MVP trophy, as the Adelaide 36ers superstar has gone to yet another level in NBL26. Cotton still leads the league with 25.3 points per game, along with 7.7 assists, to have one of the most statistically damaging seasons of his stellar career. However, as we all know when it comes to the MVP, team success is a big part of the voting.

The Adelaide 36ers have been stumbling over recent weeks, which has opened the door for Kendric Davis to be firmly in the conversation and perhaps level with Cotton. The Kings are the hottest team in the competition, with Davis averaging 23.8 points and over six assists per game, and he has been a major reason for his team’s current form.

Nathan Sobey is deservedly in the conversation too, as he continues the best season of his career at 35 years old, and the narrative of what he’s doing on a Phoenix team many predicted would struggle cannot be underestimated.

Hooley's top contenders:
Bryce Cotton
Kendric Davis
Nathan Sobey

Out of all the awards, the Best Defensive Player looks to be signed, sealed and delivered. With the season-ending injuries to Bul Kuol and Will Magnay, there has simply been no consistent competition for John Brown III to win this. While Sobey has been nothing short of exceptional for the Phoenix this year, there’s a strong case to be made that Brown is the most important piece to their success.

He came into this season with the reputation of being an elite defender and a resume that backs it up, and after his first game of the season it was clear to see why. Much like Damian Martin, who has this award named after him, Brown’s impact goes far beyond the box score.

When it comes time to vote, there will be some love for the Melbourne United duo of Tyson Walker and Jesse Edwards, as well as Xavier Cooks and JaVale McGee for their defensive impacts. All four players are key defensive pieces for their teams in their own ways, yet it would be hard for anyone to get a first-place vote over Brown.

Hooley's top contenders:
John Brown III
Tyson Walker
Jesse Edwards
Xavier Cooks
JaVale McGee

Honourable mention: Bul Kuol and Will Magnay

The reigning Best Sixth Man winner, Kouat Noi, has once again put himself firmly in contention to claim the award again after his big contributions to his team’s success. While his numbers may be down on last season, he is still having the same impact off the bench and delivering at important times for the Kings across the season. One part of Noi’s case that is hard to ignore is the fact he isn’t afraid to talk the talk and then back it up the following game.

It seems like this could be a two-horse race, with Angus Glover also having a strong season as a leading contributor to his team. While averaging 11 points per game in just 21 minutes, Josh King has often turned to Glover to spark things for the Phoenix, trusting him to come up big in clutch moments.

DJ Vasilejvic, Majok Deng and Tanner Krebs are three other players who have all had their key moments off the bench in NBL26 and could very well endear themselves to their peers who vote.

Hooley's top contenders:
Angus Glover
Kouat Noi
DJ Vasiljevic
Majok Deng
Tanner Krebs

When it comes to the Most Improved Player this season, there are strong arguments to be made for numerous players for different reasons. When it boils down to it, it looks hard to go past Sam Mennenga, Flynn Cameron and Owen Foxwell as the leading candidates.

The Breakers’ big man has improved his scoring output from under 12 points per game to over 17, while also having some career nights to help his team secure important wins. While his season may be over due to injury, Mennenga has done enough to put himself in the mix, as he’s quickly become one of the most dominant young big men around.

Both Cameron and Foxwell are young guards who have taken a big leap statistically this season, while also taking on extra responsibility for their teams. Foxwell was thrown into the starting point guard role by Josh King and has been sensational, pairing up alongside Sobey to get the best out of each other. Cameron, on the other hand, has seen his minutes per game almost triple at Adelaide and his production do the same, becoming one of the leading playmakers on the team outside of Bryce Cotton.

While those are the most common improvement jumps from season to season, the other side of that is what Josh Bannan has done for the JackJumpers. The gritty forward has been a consistent beast for Tasmania and has become a major reason they are clinging to their playoff position.

Hooley's top contenders:
Sam Mennenga
Flynn Cameron
Owen Foxwell
Josh Bannan

Honourable mention: Nick Marshall, Makuach Maluach

This season fans have been spoilt for choice with a strong list of emerging stars eligible for the Next Generation Award. Two of the current leading candidates have also been mentioned in the Most Improved Player race, as Sam Mennenga and Owen Foxwell continue to shine very early in their professional careers.

Exciting Next Star Karim Lopez is another prospect who has taken a massive leap this season and continues to rise up NBA draft boards. As good as the Mexican teenager has been, his level of play has gone up another level in the absence of Mennenga and Rob Baker II. The Perth Wildcats’ young backcourt duo of Ben Henshall and Elijah Pepper are another two young stars who have been playing their best basketball in recent weeks and will no doubt receive some love in this.

Hooley's top contenders:
Sam Mennenga
Owen Foxwell
Karim Lopez
Ben Henshall
Elijah Pepper

Usually at this point in the season we have a clear-cut favourite for the Coach of the Year award, and it normally goes to the best team in the competition. What makes this even more exciting to track in the last three weeks is that there are two teams who are arguably the best around in Sydney and South East Melbourne, and they play each other in Round 20. Regardless of that result, both Josh King and Brian Goorjian have strong cases for this award for very different reasons.

On one hand you have King, who many predicted would see his team finish towards the bottom of the table and not have enough offensive firepower to compete. King not only turned them into an offensive machine, but he also did it on the back of his defensive culture, proving that getting everyone to buy into a style can pay off.

Goorjian, on the other hand, must be given credit for how he has navigated another season full of injuries and absences to key personnel throughout. Not only did the Kings manage to get past those rough periods, they did it by quickly becoming one of the top teams in the league on both ends and having everyone playing with supreme confidence.

Hooley's top contenders: 
Josh King
Brian Goorjian
Mike Wells