NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

We are officially past the half way point in the NFL regular season. We have seen every NFL team play at least eight times. It is at this point in the season, I feel like we actually know some things about each team, to a point where they can be logically ranked.

At the start of the season, we all make our predictions on which teams we think will be Super Bowl contenders, which teams will be impressive and which teams will struggle. These first nine weeks has shown us that at the start of the season when we make our predictions, we all have no clue. After the first few weeks, we think we know some things. We may assume teams are starting to surprise us with consecutive victories, but then you realise that those victories came against the Browns and the Bears…

However, now each team has played eight games, each team has played against playoff contenders, playoff pretenders and teams that just aren’t going to have a fun year.

So, this will be my attempt to rank each team, from 1-32 as which teams I see are the best right now. I will be making weekly to this list, when I rank the teams after each week of the regular season.

1          1)    New England Patriots (7-1)

This off-season, everyone spoke about the potential for Pittsburgh Steelers offence to be one of the greatest of all-time. In reality, their offence isn’t even that close to the Patriots offence. The moment they picked up tight end Martellus Bennett from the Bears, was the moment they probably secured themselves another trip to the Super Bowl. Their two tight ends, two wide receivers and a running back offence is un-guardable. If you leave Rob Gronkowski (6’5) in single coverage, he’ll beat you. If double up on Gronk you then leave Martellus Bennett (6’6) in single coverage and two Patriot wide receivers in single coverage, who have proved that they can beat you, and I haven’t even mentioned that their quarterback is Tom Brady. Brady is completing 75% of his passes and is yet to thrown an interception. The defence is good, but not great. I still don’t understand why they let Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins go… but who am I to question the greatest coach in NFL history?

2          2)    Dallas Cowboys (7-1)

I can’t believe I’m writing this… but for once, the fans are right. There’s something happening with these Dallas Cowboys. A fourth-round rookie quarterback from Mississippi State is changing the way they play football. Dak Prescott has been a revelation. He is making sensible throws, finding the open man and most importantly, not turning the ball over. Having said all of that… Dak Prescott is not the reason that the Dallas Cowboys are 7-1. That would be the offensive line. The Cowboys offensive line isn’t just the best o-line in football, it is the best unit of any position in football. The line has aided rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot to average 5 yards per carry and 117 rushing yards per game. The Cowboys are the only team in the NFL that has run more than they have passed. As much of a surprise that Dak Prescott has been, the biggest surprise concerning the Cowboys, the defence has actually been pretty good. The pass-rushing has been below average, but the secondary has been impressive. The Cowboys will travel to Pittsburgh on Sunday. Expect Big Ben to test a Dallas secondary missing key players Morris Claiborne and Barry Church.

3)    Oakland Raiders (7-2)

The Raiders have a great offence. Derek Carr is quietly an MVP candidate himself, but he has been largely helped by a great offensive line. Carr's o-line bought him time to throw for what feels like the seventh straight game. It helps when you have studs like Michael Crabtree and emerging superstar Amari Cooper out wide. The o-line has also opened some holes up for Latavius Murray. Teams have found themselves stacking the line of scrimmage to stop Murray. That’s when you can expect Carr to target his two favourite receivers. The Raiders defence has given up some big plays on defence in the opening weeks, but over the last few games has shown a decent enough improvement for them to be considered genuine AFC contenders.

4          4)    Seattle Seahawks (5-2-1)

The Seahawks offence finally found their rhythm last night. Their offensive line had started off poorly this season, but had improved vastly in games against the 49ers, Jets and Falcons. I don’t think it is even a debate; the Seahawks have the best defence in the NFL. Two weeks ago, we saw them hold the Cardinals offence to just a field goal and did so all without All-Pro safety and their defensive captain, Kam Chancellor. In the last two games against the Saints and Bills, the defence has given up 50 points, mostly down to great quarterback performances from Drew Brees and Tyrod Taylor. Seahawks will hope Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett are able to return for Sunday’s clash and Super Bowl 49 rematch against the Patriots. The Seahawks offensive line usually improves as the season progresses; they have a great o-line coach in Tom Cable who will need to work wonders. Russell Wilson is finally starting to look healthy and was able to make plays out of the pocket.

5)    Atlanta Falcons (6-3)

Matt Ryan is an MVP candidate at this point. Julio Jones is torching everyone he comes up against; did you see him beat quadruple coverage for that touchdown against the Chargers the other week?! The Falcons' offense leads the NFL in scoring this season and is averaging 33.9 points per game, a field goal better than the next-best team. Atlanta’s defence is just not that good. Vic Beasley is starting to get pressure on the quarterback and is quickly turning into the player we saw at Clemson. Desmond Trufant is one of the most underrarted cornerbacks in the league. That’s all the nice things I have to say about that defence. The Falcons face a tough Eagles front seven this week. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones will look to exploit Philly’s struggling secondary.

6)    Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)

The Chiefs continue to find ways to win. But are they a real threat in the AFC? They have a 6-2 record and the fourth-best turnover differential but only a plus-13 point differential. Alex Smith is a good but not great quarterback. He’s probably not going to beat you over the top as we know; he has below average arm strength. If he keeps distributing the ball to his playmakers, especially Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs will put up points. The Chiefs defence leads the league with 10 INTs, five of them belonging to All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters. However, quarterbacks in the fourth quarter have torched the secondary. As I am writing this, the Chiefs have just announced that Justin Houston is will be active this weekend. A huge boost for Andy Reid’s defence.

7          7)    Denver Broncos (6-3)

If the Seahawks have the best defence in the NFL, then the Broncos are 1a. They stopped former quarterback Brock Osweiler from doing much pretty anything. Von Miller is the best pass-rusher in the league and with Chis Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby, TJ Ward and Darian Stewart in the secondary, good luck trying to throw down the field. Teams have had some success running the ball on Denver, they are ranked 23^rd against the run. On offence, not paying Osweiler and sticking with Siemian was a great decision. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are both difference makers, the offensive line is improving and will look to help rookie Devontae Booker in the run game to ease the pressure on Trevor Siemian.  The Broncos missed Talib this past week in a loss against the Raiders and will hope to have him back this weekend when they will come up against Drew Brees.

8          8)    Minnesota Vikings (5-3) 

The Minnesota Vikings are the NFC’s Denver Broncos… (but probably not as good). Both teams use a short passing game. Both teams run the ball as much as possible. And both teams require a game-changing defensive or special-teams play to swing the momentum their way. Sam Bradford’s offensive line isn’t helping him too much. Starting tackles Jake Long and T.J. Clemmings have made him look like the same Sam Bradford who frequently collapsed in the pocket in his days in St Louis and Philadelphia. They have struggled to run the ball all season. Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata are good back-ups, but haven’t had much success with the Vikings ranking dead last in rushing yards. This team needs Adrian Peterson back in the worst way if they are going to make any noise in the playoffs. I still rank the Vikings high strictly because of how good their defence has been. They travel to Washington this weekend, needing a win to revive their season.

9)    New York Giants (5-3)

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the Giants needed to wake up… The Giants look like they might have woken up. They have the team to beat any given team on any given Sunday. I know that’s a huge cliché, but they could beat, for example, the Patriots and I wouldn’t be too shocked about that. Eli Manning is not having a great year, which is a big reason why Odell Beckham Jr. has had a turbulent season. The Giants need to be more effective running the ball, which will open up their offence. The defence continues to be improve with Landon Collins, Jason Pierre-Paul and Damon Harrison making big and clutch plays. Giants have a tough game coming up on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are trying to revive their playoff aspirations.

10) Detroit Lions (5-4)

Matthew Stafford has been the best quarterback in the NFL since week 8 of the 2015 season. He has thrown for 38 touchdowns and nine interceptions during that time. The fact that the Detroit Lions are 5–4 and in the thick of the playoff race says more about Matthew Stafford’s MVP candidacy than any of his own stats would. The Lions defence has been historically bad. Opposing quarterbacks are completing 74.2% of their passes against the Lions this season, which would be the highest success rate ever allowed in NFL history.  Do I think the Lions are the 10^th best team in the NFL? Probably not, but right now I cannot put any of the below teams higher. 

11) Green Bay Packers (4-4)

I still believe in this team. Aaron Rodgers is having a bad season for his standards. Jordy Nelson doesn’t look like he has recovered from his injury that forced him to miss the 2015 season. Eddie Lacy is most likely out for the year. However, they still have the #1 ranked defence against the run, a secondary that is good but I believe will improve, and they still have Aaron Rodgers. Has any player established a higher bar for him to hit? Ty Montgomery has been dynamic out there replacing Eddie Lacy, but it remains to be seen if he can continue carrying the load at running back. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson must step up for this team to be a playoff contender. This weekend Green Bay’s #1 ranked rush defence comes up against Tennessee’s #3 ranked rushing offence.

12) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)

Pittsburgh has had a rough start to the season. They just can’t get all of their better players on the field together. Big Ben, Le’Veon Bell, Ryan Shazier, Markus Wheaton have all missed games. At the start of the season, people were predicting the Steelers offence had the potential to be the one of the best of all-time. They have the best running back in the league (Le’Veon Bell) and the best wide receiver in the league (Antonio Brown), however the offence has struggled and has looked predictable. Last week against the Ravens, they sat back in zone defence protecting against the deep ball. Question must be asked of offensive co-ordinator Todd Haley, with the Steelers only managing two first downs in the entire game. Pittsburgh’s defence is a problem. Even though they rank 11^th in run defence, their best defensive player on the team, Ryan Shazier admitted the Steelers rush defence is “garbage”… (they also rank 20^th against the pass).   

13) Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)

Even more surprising than the success of the Dallas Cowboys this season is the Philadelphia Eagles early emergence as playoff contenders. The moment they traded away Sam Bradford and announced Carson Wentz as the starter, I predicted they would go 4-1. Wentz had started perfectly with a 3-0 record throwing no interceptions. Since then, his and the Eagles form has regressed and they now sit at 4-4. The Eagles front defensive seven has been stout, with Fletcher Cox making an early case for defensive player of the year. However they have a lot of issues in the secondary with everyone not named Malcolm Jenkins. This week’s assignment for them… Julio Jones.  The Eagles have the second-hardest remaining strength of schedule and have a 29% chance of making the playoffs according to FPI.

14) Washington Redskins (3-4-1)

Washington Redskins confuse me. They are good at every position, but they are great nowhere. Kirk Cousins is the most unpredictable quarterback there is in the NFL. He’ll overthrow a wide open DeSean Jackson one play (how does that even happen?), and on then torch a secondary on the next. Redskins offence has been effective however; Trent Williams and Brandon Scherff continue to open up big holes in the run game for Matt Jones and Chris Thompson. On defence Ryan Kerrigan is playing amazing football coming off the edge and the Redskins have a good, but unpredictable secondary.  Josh Norman has looked great at times and has struggled. The Redskins will need him to be at his highest level. His next three assignments: Stefon Diggs, Jordy Nelson and Dez Bryant.  

15) Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1)

The team which I believe has the best roster in the NFL. The Cardinals were a chip-shot field goal away from being right back in the mix in the NFC West a few weeks ago against the Seahawks. They just have not looked the team like most people expected they would be. Carson Palmer is not playing like he did last season. His 54.2 Total QBR this season is 24.4 points lower than his mark for all of last season. However, running back David Johnson is having a great year, accounting for 37 percent of the team's yards from scrimmage, which is by far the highest total in the NFL. The Cardinals have a must win game against the San Francisco 49ers. Expect David Johnson to have a big game against a 49ers defence that is allowing more than five yards per carry, by far the worst in the NFL.

16) Buffalo Bills (4-5)

Shady McCoy has been outstanding and is most of the reason that this team has won four games. If I need any proof to back the statement up, they lost two weeks ago against the Miami Dolphins, Shady was hurt. This past week, they were one play away from beating the Seahawks in Seattle. The performances of Tyrod Taylor and Shady McCoy against the “Legion Of Boom” was pretty sensational. As a Seahawks fan, one of the best QB-RB performances I have seen in a long time against the league’s best defence. The Bills defence is slowly getting improving, especially the secondary with Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore. Rookie defensive end Shaq Lawson is now active for the Bills, if he plays anything like we saw he could at Clemson, along with Marcell Dareus set to return, the Bills defence could surprise a lot of people. Tyrod Taylor desperately needs Sammy Watkins back, especially if they are going to give New England any problems in the AFC East.

17) Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1)

Last year they were an unnecessary roughness penalty away from advancing deep into the playoffs, without insane, game-saving plays from AJ Green they would probably be already out of playoff contention. An encouraging sign, Jeremy Hill is back effectively running the ball. Apart from this, the Bengals do not have much to smile about. Their three wins have come against the Jets, Dolphins and Brown. Those teams have won five combined games this season. Andy Dalton has also regressed this year after having an MVP candidate season this year. The Bengals slow start was hugely down to their inability to score in the red zone, scoring on only 42% of red zone drives in their first six games. Since the return of their tight end Tyler Eifert, the Bengals are now converting on 83% of red zone drives. I still believe this team can make the playoffs, they have a great defensive line and of course, they have AJ Green.

18) San Diego Chargers (4-5)

The Chargers had a nightmare start to the season, but over the past two weeks there have been some encouraging signs. Every game that the Chargers have lost, they have thrown away a fourth quarter lead. Now, this defence looks to have life. Joey Bosa is playing like JJ Watt Lite, making his case for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Denzel Perryman and Jatavis Brown have had great season and the secondary is breaking up passes on big plays. Melvin Gordon is playing like a man who wants prove they made that his team made the right choice taking him in the first round of last year’s draft. After a disappointing rookie season, in which he failed to score a touchdown, Gordon has eight TD’s in seven games. The Chargers need to limit their turnovers, committing the second most in the league (18). Quick shout-out to the most underrated quarterback in the league, Philip Rivers.

19) Houston Texans (5-3)

I know they are 5-3. If any Houston fans saw this I would probably be cussed out within minutes. But I can’t put them any higher than this. Houston Texans offence is a huge problem. Brock Osweiler looks like an extremely expensive back-up quarterback. The Texans have been held without an offensive touchdown twice this season and have 11 offensive touchdowns on the year, which is the fewest in the NFL. The Texans defence has been playing well in the absence of JJ Watt. The offence will have to step up, however they do play in the worst division in football. The Texans do have a favourable looking schedule with only one of their remaining eight games is against a team above .500.

20) Baltimore Ravens (4-4)

The Ravens have had a crazy season. They started off their season 3-0 and looked like genuine AFC contenders. They then lost the next four games, throwing away 10-0 leads. Their defence and special teams has quietly carried them to the top of the underachieving AFC North. The Ravens has only allowed 123 first downs in eight games, which is by far the best in the NFL. Baltimore must improve on offence if they are going to make any sort of playoff run. Joe Flacco has some pretty underrated weapons at his disposal in Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman, Mike Wallace and Dennis Pitta. Kamar Aiken has been a disappointing, coming off a great season in 2015.

21) Carolina Panthers (3-5)

After the dominance of the Carolina Panthers in last year’s regular season, who would have thought they would have regressed this much? Especially now that Cam Newton now has his dominant wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin back. So what has gone wrong for the Panthers? The secondary has been extremely poor. They seem to have lost their mystique and swagger with Josh Norman leaving for Washington. The defensive front seven has not looked as dominant. And Cam Newton simply hasn’t played as well as last year. Some say he and the Panthers are experiencing a Super Bowl hangover. I don’t know about that, but Cam clearly doesn’t look the same player as he did last year. Too many overthrows and bad decisions have cost his team at times. Cam Newton is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, which I don’t think is even a debate. His team are going to need him down the stretch. They have won their last two games and will need a win against an extremely tough Chiefs team have Justin Houston back to stop Cam Newton.

22) Miami Dolphins (4-4)

Our own Jay Ajayi has put this Miami Dolphins team on his back this season. The British running back is 6^th in rushing yards and 1^st in yards per carry. The Dolphins are on a three-game win streak, largely down to Ajayi averaging 176 yards per game. Miami’s defence and special teams has also been impressive in the last few games and will need to be as Miami have two road games coming up against San Diego and Los Angeles respectively. Ryan Tannehill continues to show his unreliability. He will need to impress in the second-half or this regular season to convince fans he is the franchise quarterback that he expect him to be.

23) New Orleans Saints (4-4)

New Orleans simply needs to score 32+ points to win a game. That’s how bad their defence has looked. In fairness, they have had a bunch of players out through injury on the defensive side. If they can come back and show they are able to hold teams to 20-25 points, New Orleans could make a late playoff surge. Drew Brees is still playing at an elite level, he has posted a Total QBR of at least 80 in five straight games, the longest streak in the NFL this season.  Rookie receiver Michael Thomas is quietly on pace for 95 catches, 10 touchdowns and 1,150 yards for the season.

24) Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

I don’t understand… Where exactly do the Colts spend their salary cap? They seem to be average or below average at every position (except for quarterback). Andrew Luck is going to be the best quarterback in the NFL, in my opinion. However, the Colts need to give him some protection. Their offensive line is extremely suspect and they are asking Luck to work miracles in order for them to win games. The defence and special teams stepped up last week against Green Bay. They will need more of the same and hope Andrew Luck can put together MVP calibre performances if they are going anywhere this season.

25) Tennessee Titans (4-5)

When Marcus Mariota is playing with confidence, this Titans offence is one of the best in the league. Mariota has some great weapons on offence and has found a way to get the most out of them, especially in their last five games. Tennessee has scored at least 26 points in that period. Mariota must limit turnovers; he has thrown five pick-6’s this season. The Titans have the 3^rd best rushing attack in the NFL with DeMarco Murray and former Heisman winner Derrick Henry pounding the ball. If Mariota turns the ball over this weekend against the Green Bay Packers he will be punished by Aaron Rodgers.

26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)

I have been really disappointed with Jameis Winston this year. Coming off an impressive rookie season, which he earned Pro-Bowl recognition, he has been consistently inconsistent, making bad decision and turnovers in clutch situations. As a huge Jameis fan, I didn’t expect him to regress this year. He must spread the ball around rather than relying on Mike Evans (I’m sure fantasy owners disagree). There have been times this season that the Buccaneers seem improved over their former selves. Halfway through the schedule, though, they are 3–5, halfway to the 6–10 finish posted by Lovie Smith’s last team a year ago. Worse yet, the Bucs have lost six straight at home, including all four this year. That makes it impossible to thrive in the NFL.​

27) Los Angeles Rams (3-5)

What is going on in Los Angeles? They basically trade away for their future for quarterback Jared Goff and they bench him. It would be understandable if the Rams quarterback was playing too well to keep Goff out the team, but Case Keenum has a 40.2 Total QBR, which is worst in the NFL. We have seen six other rookie quarterbacks play this season, even undrafted Seahawk rookie Trevone Boykin has played before Jared Goff. Los Angeles held its past two opponents to an average of 238 yards and still lost twice. An offence that can’t score, a coach that no longer can win more than seven games in a season and a No. 1 pick that can’t even get onto the field. Questions need to be asked of the Rams GM and coach Jeff Fisher.

28) New York Jets (3-6)

I actually thought this team would make the playoffs. When they resigned Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had a great year in 2015, I believed they had everything they needed to make a playoff run. They have elite receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, they added elite running back Matt Forte and they have great personnel on defence. However, the words elite and great cannot be used when talking about the Jets this year. Fitzpatrick has thrown 13 interceptions, Eric Decker has been injured for most of the year and the defence is ranked 22^nd in the NFL. Coach Todd Bowles needs to a strong finish to the season if he is to keep his job, 8-8 would be a disappointing season with the strength of this roster. I would love to see the Jets draft Deshaun Watson next year. He could do some damage with this offense.

29) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)

Another team I thought had an outside chance to make the playoffs. I gave them an off-season grade of A+, adding Malik Jackson, Chris Ivory, Prince Amukamara, Kelvin Beachum, Tashaun Gipson in free agency and drafting rookies Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack and Yannick Ngakoue. However, the Jaguars are 2-6 and are lucky to have that record. If I were the Jaguars, I would start with looking for a new quarterback, I have never been a Blake Bortles fan and this year has put the final nail in the coffin. Too many poor decisions and interceptions have given the team little hope in winning games. He hasn’t been helped by his running backs Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon fumbling the ball. The defence is good enough to win some games for them down the stretch. Jaguars might be looking for a new coach sooner rather than later.

30) Chicago Bears (2-6)

Despite having great weapons on offensive in Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, Zach Miller the Chicago Bears ranks 31^st in total offense. Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer are average quarterbacks, at best. Jordan Howard has emerged as a potential future running back for the Bears. That’s about all that Bears fans have to be happy about. They’re going to get a nice draft pick at least… potential Deshaun Watson landing spot.

31) San Francisco 49ers (1-7)

I thought about putting this team bottom, but they’ve won a game so… Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert are average quarterbacks, they barely have any weapons on offence and the defence can’t stop a thing. It will be interesting to see if Chip Kelly keeps his job.

32) Cleveland Browns (0-9)

I feel sorry for coach Hue Jackon. He could have waited for the Bengals job. But he chose to come to Cleveland and try to sort out the mess that the franchise is in. They have drafted poorly for the last 10 years, they attract no free agents and they can’t find a starting quarterback. Terrelle Pryor has been a revelation, changing from quarterback to wide receiver. I’d like to see Robert Griffin III come back before the end of the season and see him win a game. Is that asking too much?

NBA 2016-2017 Preseason Predictions

NBA Regular Season MVP


NBA Defensive Player of the Year


NBA Rookie of the Year


NBA Most Improved Player


NBA Coach of the Year


NBA Sixth Man of the Year


The MVP award

Also known as the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. The trophy is named after the NBA's inaugural Commissioner, Maurice Podoloff, whose organisational and administrative skills are still thought of as the key factor that kept the league alive in the early years. This award is the highest personal accolade a player can achieve for the regular season.

James Harden

If you asked most people who they think is going to receive the MVP award this season a high percentage of those you asked would say Russell Westbrook, but I'm going to argue the case for James Harden.

After 7 years of playing SG in this league Harden is being asked by newly positioned Rockets coach, Mike D'Antoni, to make the step across to play PG and have the ball in his hands even more. If you've seen any of Harden's career in Houston you're probably thinking that he had the ball in his hands a lot anyway, and you'd be right. He had the 2nd highest usage rate in the league last season, just behind Steph Curry. The only difference this season is now the responsibility of distribution lies on Harden's shoulders more so than ever before, not just the weight of carrying the scoring load.                                                     

Everyone who's ever seen a Mike D'Antoni coached team knows what the man is about; he likes fast-paced offense, he's an offensive specialist. Coach D'Antoni has a 'we'll outscore you' mentality, which could make, or break James' game. On the one hand, he could take advantage of the faith his coach has in him and recklessly put up 30 shots a night, and lead the league in scoring, but that wouldn't benefit his team come playoff time where the game slows down to a half court battle and the defensive pressure is raised to a higher level. On the other hand, Harden could take this newfound opportunity and become the leader that we've witnessed him show glimpses of in the last 2 seasons, he now has the duties of being the point guard.

James doesn't get enough credit for his passing ability that he's shown in the last 2 seasons, averaging 7.5 assists per game in the season just past, as well as showing his court vision being the distributor off of the bench in his years at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Spacing is something that comes to light when you have a player like Harden who has a very consistently good jump shot but also has the ability to get to the rim, and make athletic plays. It's a rare combination for a PG to have, therefore making opposing players guarding him must make the tough decision on whether to get up tight and play him so he has to drive, or take the drive away and force him into taking jump shots. That’s where one of the new teammates that the Rockets have brought in for Harden to dish to come in. Ryan Anderson is also going to thrive under a D'Antoni coached offense, coming from the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 17ppg and 6rpg in the season just past, Anderson has established himself as one of the league's most effective stretch-4s.

A lot of sports journalists look at 'win shares' and factor those into their decision on MVP, Harden ranked 6th in win shares last season with 13.3. If you remove Harden from this Rockets team, it would lower their win total to 27.7, dropping them out of playoff contention. The thing that could hold Harden back is his turnovers, he's notorious for turning the ball over, in fact he's had the most turnovers in the league for the last 2 seasons. If he can hone that in and still be aggressive on offence I think he'll have a good chance of contesting for this accolade

Notable Mentions:

Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma)
Damian Lillard (Portland)

The Defensive Player of the Year

This award is presented to the player who has shown the most ability on the defensive side of the floor.

DeAndre Jordan

For a 7'0" player his ability to switch out on opposing team's guards and stay in front of the ball is highly impressive. There's a certain natural intensity that Jordan possess and it's hard to emulate, this comes from his stellar post-defence and his shot blocking. A common problem amongst centres in this league is being able to stay out of foul trouble, DeAndre stays relatively out of foul trouble, which allows him to play heavy minutes, especially late in games.

A lot of people will tell you the best way to stunt an opposing team's offence is to score when you have the ball, and DeAndre makes that easier for the Clippers, he tore down a league leading 3.5 offensive rebounds per game last season, giving his team more opportunities to score and limit the other team's fast break points. Not only his offensive rebounding but Jordan's ability to finish anything he catches around the rim also helps the Clippers prevent fast break points.

There's no denying DeAndre knows what he's doing when he's on defence, he was voted NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2015, as well as All-NBA Third Team in the same year. He set the Los Angeles Clippers franchise record for most 20+ rebounds games in the 2014-2015 season he managed to grab 20+ rebounds a ridiculous 13 times. In the same season he also set the Clippers' single season franchise record for rebounds, when he pulled down 1,226. He's also known as one of the toughest players in the league, being able to play through injuries and illness, DeAndre owns the record for consecutive games for the Clippers with an impressive 322 games in a row. This stat might not seem like something that would benefit him when it comes to DPOY voting, however when a player is physically able to go out and compete for all 82 games and leave his all on the court that stands him in very good stead, there's few players that can make it through a full NBA season without missing a game, for one reason or another, Jordan is in exiguous company with his ability to stay healthy.

The big question mark around whether Jordan could become DPOY is whether or not the Clippers can ever achieve a top 3-5 ranked defence, last year they came in at seventh, which is good, just not elite. Whilst this is a personal award, it's hard to reward someone with individual accolades if his team's not better defensively when he's on the court.

Notable mentions:

Rudy Gobert (Utah)

Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio)

The Rookie of the Year award

Also known as the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy. Gottlieb was famous for being the first coach and manager of the Philadelphia (now Golden State) Warriors, as well as being essential in the formative years of the NBA. This award is presented to the best first year player.

Joel Embiid

The well awaited NBA debut of #3 pick from the 2014 Draft is soon to be upon us. Embiid missed the Big 12 tournament and the NCAA tournament in the March of 2014 due to a stress fracture in his back. 6 days before the Philadelphia 76ers used their lottery pick to chose Embiid he underwent surgery on a broken navicular bone in his right foot, and was ruled out for 4-6 months, this unfortunately was not the case. On August 26th 2014, he was ruled unlikely to play at all in the 2014-2015 season due to the broken navicular bone.

On June 13th 2015 is was learned that Embiid had suffered a setback in his recovery after a CT scan revealed less healing than anticipated. Soon it was determined that Embiid's chances of playing in the 2015–16 season were again slim following a second round of surgery on his right foot in the August of 2015. He did miss the entire season once again.

That is all in the past, Joel is healthy and ready to put his stamp on the league, with not long to go until the 76ers season tips off against Oklahoma, on October 26th in downtown Philadelphia, the jitters are probably setting in. Embiid proved he was talented last time we saw him play scoring 12 points, and grabbing 13 rebounds against a great Oklahoma Sooners squad, then a week later he posted another solid night of stats, scoring 13 points, and another 13 rebounds against Oklahoma State Cowboys, doing so in under 30 minutes of playing time in both games. With that being said, that was 964 days ago, not exactly a good example of his current ability. What we do know is that Embiid's weight has fluctuated within the last 24 months, he left Kansas 250lbs but still needing to put some muscle on, it was reported that in January of 2015 that he had unhealthily climbed up the 300lbs mark with his unwillingness to do conditioning workouts. In the preseason games he has just played he looks more muscular than when he left college, and he looks to be at a healthy weight.

The huge cloud that looms over Embiid's rookie season potential is whether he'll be fit enough to keep up with the speed of an NBA game, that's not a knock on Embiid's fitness in general, it's purely a observation that he hasn't played a competitive game of basketball (other than this preseason) since March 2014. If he has a motor that allows him to play close to 30 minutes a game the sky is truly the limit for Joel's potential.

Notable mentions:

Kris Dunn (Minnesota)

Brandon Ingram (Los Angeles Lakers)

The Most Improved Player

This award is presented to the player who has shown he's improved his game the most from one season to the next.

Steven Adams

Coming into the league after just one year at the University of Pittsburgh, originally hailing from New Zealand, Steven Adams wasn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue to go top 12 in the 2013 NBA Draft, yet he did. Adams’ made the Big East All-Rookie Team during his freshman season, he also averaged 7.2 points on 57.1% shooting, as well as 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in just 23 minutes per game.

In a recent preseason poll done by league GMs Steven ranked in the top 5 of ‘toughest’ guys in the league, he’s been known to get under opposing player’s skin with his physicality. He subtly annoyed Zach Randolph so much that Zach uncharacteristically punched Adams in the head during the 2013 Playoffs. Randolph was subsequently banned for an important game 7, that his team lost. It’s clearly an effective method for the mild-mannered Adams to get opposing players off their game. Adams’ durability is noteworthy, missing only 1 game last season.

The Playoffs came about and Steven upped him game. Against first round opponents Dallas he was matched up with David Lee and he managed to contain the former All-Star to a measly 6ppg and 3rpg in the 5 games, he also matched up against Zaza Pachulia in the same series and held him to 6.6ppg and 5.4rpg. This level of play was continued by Adams’ in the next round when he was tasked with guarding 5 time NBA champ, and future Hall of Fame inductee, Tim Duncan. The curtain was calling on Duncan’s illustrious career, but everyone knows he could still ball out if his number was called on offense, Adams led the 6-game series in rebounding averaging 11.8rpg, he also helped the Thunder by scoring 10.3ppg. This was a ‘coming of age’ series for Adams, it showed the coaching staff that he could be relied on to defend, rebound, and score when the game slowed down.

With the departure of Kevin Durant all of the players on the Thunder roster will be seeing more of the ball, one of the biggest beneficiaries of KD leaving will be Adams. He showed glimpses through the season that he has a plethora of moves in, and around, the paint. He’s also a great p&r roll man with excellent ability to catch the ball. The athleticism Adams’ possesses is fantastic for someone his size meaning he can get a lot of easy points from lobs.

Steven will need to understand his new role and adjust to having the ball in his hands more, he’ll need to improve his free throw percentage from 58% to at least high 60s, with more touches on offense and opportunities to score he needs to make sure his efficiency doesn’t drop. If he makes a smooth transition from role player to leader he could have a fantastic season.

Notable mention:

Dennis Schröder (Atlanta)
Tyler Johnson (Miami)

The Coach of the Year

Also known as the Red Auerbach Trophy. Auerbach is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in American sports history, coaching his Boston Celtics to 9 championships in a 10 year span (1956-1966). This award is presented to best coach for the regular season.

Brad Stevens

Coach Stevens is a big believer that a teams players in a similar demeanour to how their coach is on the side lines, if he appears nervous he feels that energy will transfer to his players, hence Stevens constant calm attitude towards side line coaching. He was already a household name for fans of college basketball stemming from his 5 extremely successful years as the head coach of the Butler Bulldogs, Stevens broke the NCAA record for most wins by a head coach in his first three seasons when on the February 26, 2010, Butler travelled to Valparaiso and beat them 74-69, he had achieved 82 wins in his first three seasons.

Sports Illustrated have been quoted on saying Stevens is an expert "on breaking down tape and looking at statistical trends to find opponents' weaknesses." he's very much a student of the game, which makes him so knowledgeable. Stevens' teams are built around the fundamentals of basketball more than individual basketball skills, this inspires teamwork and team chemistry. Forcing your opponent into bad decisions and out of character mistakes is the way coach Stevens implores his teams to play, which fits perfectly with the players he has at Boston. Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley are both extremely talented defensive guards, both in different ways. Smart is very strong and athletic for his size (6'4"), and is willing to sacrifice his body for the betterment of the team. Avery Bradley is one of the quickest players you can find in the NBA, his ability to stay in front of opposing players and maintain excellent defensive positioning is unparalleled. These two players are the anchor of Stevens' defensive small-ball system.

He's arguably in the top 2 coaches for calling out of time out plays, for a long time no one has questioned that Doc Rivers' is the coach that's devises the most cunning plays during a time out, but Stevens' has proven he is definitely in that conversation now.

His biggest job this season could come down to player management, getting the players ready for the season, and all reading from the same playbook, as it were. The Celtics have some new players coming in like Al Horford, Gerald Green, and the rookie star Jaylen Brown will all be in the Celtics main rotation, with the likes of former key pieces in the way of Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger parting from Boston to get more money else where this season. Overall Coach Stevens has done a fantastic job in his 3 years at the helm in Boston, and continues to impress.

Notable mentions:

Quinn Snyder (Utah)
Billy Donovan (Oklahoma)

The Sixth Man of the Year

This award is presented to the player who makes the greatest impact for his team whilst coming off of the bench.

Enes Kanter

Sixth man of the Year is a prestigious award. it's hard enough to make an impact in the NBA when you're in a starting position let alone relied on to come off of the bench, make an impact, and lead your team's 'second unit'. This season I feel Enes Kanter will be the best player coming off of the bench in terms of positive impact for his team.

With Kevin Durant leaving for the Golden State Warriors (no, I don't want to talk about it) Oklahoma City Thunder coach, Billy Donovan, will be asking for a little more from all of his players, but Enes especially. Enes has been in Oklahoma since the February of 2015, and he's been productive in his 18 months, averaging 12.7 points, 8.1 rebounds whilst shooting 57% on his field goal attempts, all in only 21 minutes per game, however with the scoring load that Durant brought leaving for the Bay area Enes' minutes will increase and subsequently his ability to influence the game.

He'll be played more in the closing sequences for the Thunder this season, being one of the best knockdown shooters the team have available. It's not just Kanter's ability to score that makes him dangerous, he's an extremely efficient rebounder too, proving it last season against the Portland Trail Blazers, posting a hugely impressive 33 points and snatching 20 rebounds on his way to being the first player in Thunder history to score at least 30 points and grab at least 20 rebounds in a single game.

The thing that could hold Kanter back the most from becoming the Sixth Man of the Year is whether or not the Oklahoma City Thunder starting 5 can score enough points to start games out with him on the bench, if the team is regularly being outscored by other team's starting fives Coach Donovan could easily make the decision to take Domantas Sabonis, who I feel has made it clear he'll be the starting Power Forward come opening night, out of the starting line up and slid Kanter into the starting 4 spot.

Notable mentions:

Jamal Crawford (Los Angeles Clippers)

Andre Iguodala (Golden State)

NBA regular season MVP - James Harden (Houston)

NBA Defensive Player of the Year - DeAndre Jordan (LA Clippers)

NBA Rookie of the Year - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia)

NBA Most Improved Player - Steven Adams (Oklahoma)

NBA Coach of the Year - Brad Stevens (Boston)

NBA Sixth Man of the Year - Enes Kanter (Oklahoma)

http://www.si.com/
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
http://www.espn.co.uk/nba/