2023 End of Season Thunder Awards: Who Takes Home Hardware?
Now that the 2022-23 season has come to an end, awards are due. While the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't have any players or staff win NBA awards, there's individual team accolades that deserves recognition.
Over the past week, the InsideTheThunder.com team handed out awards for several categories. Who took home the hardware?
Most Valuable Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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Coming into the season, there were plenty of uncertainties around the roster, and there wasn’t any guaranteed production from any player on the Oklahoma City Thunder except for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was the clear driver of the squad from day one, too.
On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points per game on 51 percent shooting from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc. The scoring directly contributed to winning, though, as the Thunder would oftentimes find themselves in a rut offensively, and Gilgeous-Alexander would rattle off a stretch of scoring that changed the course of the several contests.
Defensive Player of the Year: Lu Dort
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Oklahoma City’s defense had an up and down season overall, but did have bright spots from multiple players. Lu Dort has widely been considered one of the top defenders in the league, and he continues to be the top defender on the Thunder’s roster. Dort is continuously leaned on by OKC to defend the opposing team’s best offensive weapon, and has typically excelled at the task.
While Dort’s offense struggled mightily at times this season, his defense continued to help keep OKC competitive in games as other players relied on offensively.
Sixth Man of the Year: Isaiah Joe
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The Oklahoma City Thunder tried plenty of different rotations and styles this season. They did so in large part to find out what will stick as the Thunder continue and push towards future contention.
Conveniently, when the Thunder turned a corner this season and became a serious team, one player consistently was the first guy off the bench and seemingly made an impact in every game he played, and that player is Isaiah Joe.
Most Improved Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
After averaging 24.5 points per game last year, the lead guard enjoyed a massive jump in efficiency, morphed into a top-five scorer in the NBA, and quite literally became the driving force behind the Thunder’s offense. Gilgeous-Alexander’s leap in production didn’t stop there, though, as he also shouldered more responsibility on the other end of the floor, posting a career-high in steal and block percentages.
As a result of his improved play, Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed his first All-Star appearance and finished second in voting for the Most Improved Player Award while earning 24 first-place votes. He also led his team to one win shy of securing the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture despite the Thunder’s collective inexperience.
Rookie of the Year: Jalen Williams
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For the Oklahoma City Thunder, picking a Rookie of the Year for the squad was interesting this time around. Jalen Williams appeared in 75 games this season, though he didn’t have the starting job right away. He did, though, start in 62 of those games, as he won a starting job quite early in the season.
Averaging 14.1 points per game on the season, Williams averaged 16.1 points per game since January 1st, 2023. With his game taking a jump came many 20+ point performances and glimpses into what his future could hold.
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