The NBA awards season is upon us, and in U.S. basketball, they do things slightly differently than here in the UK.
True, the Premier League’s Player of the Season is very much akin to the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) — with 45 goal contributions in 33 games, that is almost nailed on to be Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah this season — but there are plenty of NBA prizes that are unique to that league. So, what if the Premier League’s end-of-season awards were the same as the NBA’s?
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Just for fun, The Athletic has imagined a parallel universe where that is the case.
Here, we give you the Premier League’s Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, and Clutch Player of the Year.
The NBA MVP announcement date is to be determined, with last year’s announcement on May 8, and the Premier League Player of the Season is revealed from shortlists on or soon after the final weekend of the season.
Rookie of the Year: Liam Delap
In basketball, any player who has never played a game in the NBA until that year can win the Rookie of the Year award.
Under those strict rules, Delap would not qualify, since he registered 47 minutes across two substitute appearances for Manchester City a few years ago. However, given that his first start in the Premier League came on the opening day of this season for Ipswich Town, we’ll let him off.
After all, the 22-year-old striker has contributed to 45 per cent of Ipswich’s 33 goals in his first full season in the top flight, racking up 12 goals and two assists.
Between those City cameos and his £15million ($20m), plus add-ons, move to Ipswich last summer, Delap spent time on loan in England’s second-tier Championship, playing at Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City.
His direct running and finishing are Premier League quality and that skill set has attracted serious interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
Delap is a worthy winner of the Rookie of the Year (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, 20, has plenty of admirers following his debut Premier League season after his move from Juventus last summer. Nikola Milenkovic, 27, also moved from Serie A when he swapped Fiorentina for Nottingham Forest and he has been a standout performer at centre-back in a team that has conceded just 39 goals. Only Liverpool and Arsenal have conceded fewer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk
This one should not take much explaining. Defensive players are often overlooked for individual awards — the Premier League Player of the Season has been won by a defender on five occasions in the past 20 years, with former Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic winning it twice in 2008-09 and 2010-11.
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In the NBA, this award does not take into account offensive stats, so we can look past attacking full-backs who contribute with assists and goals. We want the hard-nosed defenders, those who have stood out in defensive statistics.
Van Dijk would win the Premier League Defensive Player of the Year, according to the voting panel, consisting of me. Just behind is Arsenal defender William Saliba and there is a strong shout for Everton’s defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye (most tackles) and any member of Forest’s regular back line (13 clean sheets, second only to Liverpool).
The 33-year-old Netherlands captain is about to lead Liverpool to the Premier League title and has just signed a new contract. The graph below shows that his defensive prowess leads opposition players to avoid him, meaning he does not have to do as much defending or top many defensive categories.
Most Improved Player: Ryan Gravenberch
This award is popular within grassroots football but is not given in the Premier League. Let’s change that.
While Forest striker Chris Wood, Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans, and Milos Kerkez, the Bournemouth left-back, would be considerations, Gravenberch has been transformed at Liverpool.
Having played the No 8 role (central midfield) under Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot transitioned the 22-year-old into a defensive midfielder with great success.
He has started all 33 Premier League games for Liverpool, having featured in 26 last season.
He has kept play ticking while breaking up opposition moves. The Netherlands international has made the second-most interceptions (56) and has completed 88.9 per cent of his 1,754 passes, according to FBRef, attempting the 13th-most passes. His patented Gravenberch turn, an agile spin away from his marker, helps him escape pressure and launch attacks.
Gravenberch has gone to another level under Slot (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Gravenberch told LFC TV: “My game has developed a lot. I had to adapt to the new position, I didn’t play a lot there (beforehand), but now I know what I have to do. The manager also fully trusted me there, so I’m really happy with that.”
Sixth Man of the Year: Jhon Duran
In the NBA, where there are five players in a starting line-up, they are called the sixth man. In football, they are known as the super sub.
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Essentially, the role is to come off the bench, take advantage of tired legs, and secure important results for your team, just as Jhon Duran did this season for Aston Villa before he was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr (Cristiano Ronaldo’s team) in January for €77 million (£64.3m, $79.9m), plus more in potential add-ons.
He scored game-winning goals off the bench against West Ham United, Leicester City, and Everton, as well as Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Your Goal of the Month for October:
Jhon Durán vs Bayern Munich 🤯 pic.twitter.com/805l6lrWEY
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 4, 2024
His four goals off the bench still rank second in the Premier League, despite not playing for Aston Villa in the league since January 26.
An honourable mention goes to Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz, who leads the way with six goals off the bench and has scored winners as a substitute against Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Clutch Player of the Year: Chris Wood
Being clutch means performing in the important moments of close games. The clutch itself in the NBA is described as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime. In football, we often refer to the quality of being clutch with phrases such as ‘ice in their veins’.
Nottingham Forest striker Wood, 33, has had the clutch gene this season. Give him a chance and he is converting better than any other player in the Premier League, with a conversion rate of 31.4 per cent. Wood’s eight match-winning goals are only bettered by Salah’s nine.
Bryan Mbeumo would make the shortlist for this category given that 14 of his 18 Premier League goals have either tied Brentford or put them ahead in a game.
(Top photos: Wood, left, and Van Dijk; by Getty Images)
