Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and guard Shaedon Sharpe were both nominated for NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for the month of December, the league announced today.
In 14 games
in December, Avdija averaged 24.6 points, 8.5 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 36.7 minutes per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Sharpe was Portland’s second-leading scorer during the month, averaging 22.9 points per game while shooting 46.4% from the field and 44% on 3s. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals and 31.4 minutes per game.
The main knock on both players’ stat lines was turnovers. During the month, Avdija averaged 4.6 turnovers per game and Sharpe averaged 3.4. Additionally, Avdija’s 3-point shooting cooled off to 31.3% during December, but he’s still shooting above 35% for the season.
Despite Portland’s injury woes, both Avdija and Sharpe played in every possible game in December. Playing heavy minutes, they helped the Blazers to a 6-8 record during the month.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Aelxander won Player of the Month honors for the Western Conference in December. He averaged 31.4 points and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 59.4% from the field, helping OKC to a 9-4 record. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month. Brunson averaged 30.6 points and 7.1 assists per game to lead the Knicks to a 10-4 record. He also shot 40.5% from deep.
Along with Avdija and Sharpe, other Western Conference nominees included Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry; Los Angeles Lakers teammates LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant; Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle; Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg; San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox; Utah Jazz guard Keynote George; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic; and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.
In the Eastern Conference, nominees included Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
