The Official PnB Utah Jazz Midseason Awards

Nov 5, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward (20) and guard Trey Burke (3) react to defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-100 at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Oh, man, time flies. Wasn’t it like yesterday when we were all getting ready for Halloween and trying to contain our excitement after what the Jazz did in the preseason? At any rate, more than half of the NBA season is in the books, and for the Utah Jazz, it’s been filled with plenty of exciting highs, gut-wrenching lows and a whole boat load of hope.

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The Utah Jazz are on the rise. There’s no hiding it anymore; the word is out and spreading like wildfire. This is due to some solid coaching, team chemistry and spectacular play from some rising stars and unsuspecting players stepping up in big ways.

So in true Jazz fashion, I’ll be dishing out—in true Stockton-to-Malone fashion—my official Utah Jazz Midseason Awards.

Most Valuable Player: Gordon Hayward

We’ve written about this time and time again, here at PnB. Now it’s time to make this thing official: Gordon Hayward is the best player donning a Utah Jazz uniform. The team goes as he goes. Since entering the league, Hayward has steadily improved and he’s unarguably put his stamp on this season. He’s currently putting up 20-5-4 a contest with a PER of 20.5. Those are super impressive numbers. And with his Swiss Army Knife style of play, he’s become one of the best all around players in the league.

What’s more, we’ve seen him, on multiple occasions this year, be able to take over or dominate a game. Most recently with his Herculean effort against the Warriors—taking Klay Thompson behind the woodshed and giving him a good, old-fashioned whoopin’—and last night, with his 30-point, +23 demolition of the Sacramento Kings.

At only 24 years old, I’ve got a feeling the Jazz are going to be in a good place for years to come with Hayward at the helm.

Runner up: Derrick Favors

Rookie Of The Year: Joe Ingles

I’m willing to take bets that absolutely no one had Joey as their pick at the beginning of the season. Me included. Yet, he we are. There’s no doubt that Ingles has been the best and most impactful Jazz rookie. Part of that is due to Rodney Hood’s recurring foot injuries and Dante Exum being 19-years old playing in a grown man’s league. His stats won’t wow you—4.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.5 APG—but his all-around game and maturity has elevated the Jazz at an otherwise depleted and inexperienced wing position.

Ingles doesn’t do anything particularly spectacular, but he has a sound overall skill set. Most importantly, he doesn’t play like a rookie. At 27, he’s got the background to forego the usual rookie growing pains. Instead, he plays like a seasoned veteran, filling his role and contributing on a nightly basis.

Joey’s proving a lot people wrong and showing that he’s got some real staying power in the NBA. Here’s hoping it’s in Utah.

Runner up: Dante Exum

Defensive Player Of The Year: Rudy Gobert

You don’t get the nicknames “The Stifle Tower” or “French Rejection” by being a slouch on the defensive end. Ever since giving Pau Gasol fits in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last summer, Rudy’s experienced a meteoric rise—both on the court and in the hearts of fans. And his impact can’t be ignored. Don’t believe me? Check the stats. In the wise words of Shawn Carter, “men lie, women lie, number’s don’t,” and Rudy’s certifiably the NBA’s best rim protector this season.

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When he entered the league, Rudy was all heart and seemingly endless limbs. Fast forward and he’s one of the most impactful dudes on the floor. It’s more than the highlight blocks or the infinite number of rebounds he gobbles up, teams are now completely avoiding the paint when Rudy’s in. He impacts the game so much more than his gaudy stats would lead you to believe.

It’s safe to say Rudy was the steal of the 2013 draft and his tenacious style of defense is going to help the Jazz win a whole slew of games in the very near future.

Still skeptical? Go back and watch the third quarter of last week’s game against the Portland Trailblazers, in which Rudy held superstar Lamarcus Aldridge scoreless. Yep, zero points scored.

The defense rests, Your Honor.

Runner up: Derrick Favors

Most Improved Player: Derrick Favors

Gordon Hayward’s rise to stardom has been well documented. Hell, I wrote about it like half an hour ago. But what’s not being talked about enough is the career year Derrick Favors is having. Nearly every night, you can pen Derrick in for a near double-double and his consistency has helped carry the Jazz time and time again this season.

That hasn’t been the case in the past.

Derrick is currently posting career highs in minutes played, points, assists, free throw percentage and field goal percentage. Even more impressive is his PER, a notable 22.32. That’s puts Derrick in elite company and is good enough for 15th highest in the league—nearly 30 slots higher than he was last year. Pair that with aggressive rim protection and ferocious defense and you have one beastly piece of NBA talent.

If you need further convincing, then I implore to read my colleague and friend, Spencer Wixom’s column that elaborates much further on this point.

If all goes to plan, we’re bound to see Favors and Hayward suiting up in an All-Star Game sometime soon.

Congrats, Derrick, you’ve officially arrived.

Runner up: Enes Kanter

Sixth Man Of The Year: Trey Burke

Look, I know it’s a small sample size, but no one Jazz player has been better off the bench than Trey Burke. And he’s handled the move like a total pro. Hats off to him.

Trey’s hands-down the best point guard on the Jazz’s roster, but I’ve had my doubts for quite a while that he has staying power as a starter in the league. The point guard position is currently in a renaissance, with a talent pool so deep you could probably find Atlantis immersed somewhere inside it. On the other hand, Trey’s already better in his second year than most backups, and the Jazz are reaping the benefits of his havoc wreaking.

Whether moving Trey to the bench is really a motivator is neither here nor there. What’s important is the impact he’s had on the floor as of late and that the experiment has been a huge success. Since the move, Trey’s averaging 15 ppg, and his assist to turnover ratio is nearly 3:1. He’s become the bench scorer and spark plug the Jazz have sorely needed. And though it’s lofty to think Trey will stay in this new role all season, thinking that he’ll feast in it, isn’t.

Runner up: Rudy Gobert

Coach Of The Year: Quin Snyder

I mean, duh.

We’ve still got 30 games left, Jazz Nation, and the future for this team continues to skyrocket. I can’t wait to see what our boys can do in a year or two. In the mean time, stay positive and cheer with the fire in your gut that we’re all known for. Good things are on the horizon.

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