Here's a fun fact for you: last season, every major NBA award (MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and Coach of the Year) went to first-time winners. That might not sound especially rare (and obviously Rookie of the Year is always a first-time winner), but it is. It hadn't happened since the 2014-15 season, meaning we went a full decade without a slate full of newcomers.

It was a fitting footnote in the parity era. League rules have tried to level the competitive playing field, and the obvious result has been seven new champions in seven years. Is it possible that this league-wide trend also affects individual players? Maybe. Many of these awards are implicitly linked to team performance, after all, and if it's harder for a

See Full Page