MVP, Most Improved Player and other Sacramento Kings team awards for 2020-21 NBA season
The Kings didn’t warrant much consideration for most of the NBA’s annual postseason awards after failing to reach the playoffs for the 15th year in a row.
Sacramento went 31-41 to finish 12th in the Western Conference, matching a dubious record for the longest postseason drought in NBA history, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some individual achievements along the way.
De’Aaron Fox took another meaningful step toward becoming an All-Star. Richaun Holmes had another career year. Harrison Barnes optimized his efficiency. Tyrese Haliburton impressed as a rookie, Buddy Hield improved as a playmaker, Marvin Bagley III showed signs of growth, and Delon Wright, Terence Davis and Maurice Harkless proved to be big additions at the NBA trade deadline.
Ultimately, the Kings came up short once again in their quest to bring winning basketball back to Sacramento, but there were some accomplishments worth celebrating, so today we present our team awards for the 2020-21 NBA season.
Most Valuable Player
Fox averaged team and career highs of 25.2 points and 7.2 assists, up from 21.1 points and 6.8 assists in 2019-20. The 23-year-old point guard attacked defenses with insane speed, quickness and ball handling ability, continuing to emerge as one of the game’s most dynamic young players.
Fox came out of Kentucky with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In his fourth NBA season, he shot 47.7% from the field, 32.2% from 3-point range and 71.9% at the free-throw line. He still needs to improve his shooting, but there was major progress in two important areas.
Fox made a huge leap in terms of finishing around the rim this season, improving from 65.5% to 76.1% inside of three feet. He also made strides at the free-throw line, shooting 76.9% in April and 76.3% in May while averaging 8.0 free-throw attempts per game. Fox missed the last 13 games of the season after contracting COVID-19, but by then he had already demonstrated significant growth as a scorer, finisher and fourth-quarter closer.
Fox was twice named Western Conference Player of the Week. He was nominated for Player of the Month after averaging 29.3 points, 6.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals while leading the Kings to a 9-5 record in April.
Rookie of the Year
Haliburton was named a finalist for the NBA Rookie of the Year award Thursday, so there’s no question he was the top rookie on this Kings team.
Haliburton came out of Iowa State as the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He didn’t have the benefit of summer league, a regular offseason or a normal training camp, but that didn’t stop him from making an immediate impact. The 21-year-old guard averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 47.2% from the field and 40.9% from 3-point range.
Haliburton was named NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December/January and February, establishing himself as a leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award. He was named a finalist for the award along with LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Most analysts believe Ball will be named Rookie of the Year, but Haliburton is widely projected as an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.
Defensive Player of the Year
Holmes wants to be regarded as one of the top two-way centers in the league and someone who garners consideration for the NBA All-Defensive Team. That commitment to defense helped make him the best defensive player on a bad defensive team.
Holmes’ second season in Sacramento was even better than his first. The Kings finished 30th in the NBA in defensive rating, but Holmes’ defense — and his all-around game — was a bright spot.
The 27-year-old center averaged career highs of 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks. He led the team in rebounding and blocks and led all regular rotation players in defended field-goal percentage (.451) and differential percentage (minus-3.5), holding opponents well below their season shooting averages. Holmes finished eighth in the NBA in blocks and blocks per game, 11th in block percentage and 18th in rebounding.
Sixth Man of the Year
The Kings acquired Wright at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Cory Joseph to the Detroit Pistons. The 29-year-old guard proved to be a huge upgrade at both ends of the floor.
Wright started eight games at the end of the season with Fox (COVID-19) and Haliburton (knee) out due to illness and injuries, but he logged most of his minutes as a key reserve. In 27 games, he averaged 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals. He shot 46.2% from the field, 39.8% from 3-point range and 83.3% at the free-throw line.
Wright started 31 games for the Pistons before coming to Sacramento, so he was ready to step up when coach Luke Walton needed him to help fill the void with Fox and Haliburton out of the lineup. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and four blocks in his first start, a 103-99 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He had 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals the next night in a 104-93 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Most Improved Player
Barnes is a 28-year-old forward and former NBA champion in his ninth season out of North Carolina. He wouldn’t be the most obvious choice for Most Improved Player on a lot of teams, but the way he optimized his game this season was huge for the Kings.
Barnes averaged 16.1 points and career highs of 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He improved his field-goal percentage from 46% to 49.7%. His 3-point shooting went from 38.1% to 39.1% and his free-throw shooting went from 80.2% to 83%.
Barnes’ true shooting percentage (.626) was well above his previous career high of .578. He also posted career bests in offensive win shares (4.0) and offensive box plus/minus (1.4). Critics said the Kings dramatically overpaid when they re-signed Barnes to a four-year, $85 million deal in 2019, but no one was saying that when he emerged as a hot commodity at the trade deadline.
