Getting more love for the Rockets -- The Skeleton Key award For the player who unlocks everything for his team. Danny Chau: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. There were moments last season when I honestly wondered whether Mbah a Moute was the Clippers’ third-best player. For all his offensive limitations (which were overblown in relation to his role), he was as close as the team ever got to finding that ideal 3-and-D wing for the starting lineup—a white-whale search that feels at least a decade old. And then the Rockets signed him for next to nothing. In classic D’Antoni fashion, the Houston coach found ultimate utility in Mbah a Moute by ratcheting him up a position or two. Mbah a Moute’s ability and willingness to hold his own on defense against basically any center in the league is a godsend for a Rockets team that prides itself on versatility. The five-out lineups that the Rockets have played may come out in full force in the postseason. Among Houston’s endless array of 3-and-D polymaths, Mbah a Moute stands alone at the top. Justin Verrier: P.J. Tucker, the Round Mound of … Multiple Skills. Even as teams across the league try to crib from Golden State’s blueprint, the Rockets have somehow cornered the market on players with the profile of a wing but the glut and savvy to get in the mud with the bigs on the defensive end. I’ll go with Tucker over Mbah a Moute here because of his dependability (he’s appeared in 79 games, by far most on the team), his versatility (the way he utilizes his strength and low center of gravity to guard 5s is a master class in positioning), and the fact his pitbull attitude has finally given Mike D’Antoni a defense with some teeth. Best Second-Banana Award For the player who probably won’t show up on an MVP ballot but performed the best as a no. 2 (or even 3 or 4 or 5) option. Gonzalez: Before the season, I wondered how Chris Paul would fit in Houston. CP3 has been the focal point of every team he’s ever been on in his entire life. The high usage rate and the ability to take over games late in critical situations are part of what helped make him the Point God in the first place. Which is why it was so hard for me to imagine him deferring to James Harden and D’Antoni’s system for the greater good. But that’s exactly what he’s done. While Harden became the runaway favorite for MVP, Paul has had a good but surprisingly quiet (for him) season in the service of the best team in the NBA. When your second banana is a future Hall of Famer, you’re in pretty good shape. But I should have never doubted Paul’s ability to fill this role—especially given his long history of banana-related experiences. https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/4/6/17204838/other-nba-award-picks
