Oklahoma City Thunder Awards for the 2020-21 Season

Handing out the awards for the Oklahoma City Thunder's Season

Ryan Chapman | May 24, 2021

With the members of the Oklahoma City Thunder out of contention for the NBA awards, the InsideTheThunder.com staff handed out the Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player for OKC.

Most Improved Player

Though everyone on the roster was eligible, two players took center stage of the staff selections for Most Improved Player. Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort dazzled for the Thunder this season, but only one could capture the award of Most Improved Player.

Sixth Man of the Year

Predicting the OKC bench on any given night was difficult, but Ty Jerome and Kenrich Williams rose above the rest.

Arriving with little expectation, both players were key cogs in the Thunder bench, and may have carved out a role in Oklahoma City for years to come.

Rookie of the Year

The Thunder officially kicked off their rebuild by trading up in the 2020 NBA Draft to select Serbian big Aleksej Pokusevski, and then picked up French point guard Theo Maledon in the second round with the 34th overall pick. Though they both had their highs and lows, only could take home the honor of Rookie of the Year for Oklahoma City.

Defensive Player of the Year

Dort as the Defensive Player of the Year is probably the closest thing to a league-wide award as Oklahoma City would get this season.

Utilizing his athleticism, Dort has shown he can match up with a plethora of NBA stars from point guards all the way to LeBron James. In just his second year in the league, Dort is already being recognized by his peers as one of the best defenders in basketball.

Most Valuable Player

Again deciding between Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort, Oklahoma City's Canadian delegation were by far the most consistent performers for the Thunder.

Budding stars in their own right, did Gilgeous-Alexander's foot injury which cut his season short cost him the Thunder Most Valuable Player?

Published May 24, 2021

RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan has worked in the Oklahoma City market for two years for 107.7 FM The Franchise, The Flagship Station for Oklahoma Sooners Football. Along with covering the Sooners, he is also in his second season as a credentialed media member covering the Thunder. In December, Ryan joined AllSooners.com to cover Sooners. Ryan has also covered the Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA affiliate of the LA Dodgers) and the Oklahoma City Energy (USL Championship).