For the first time ever, the NBA is allowing fans to vote for all of the end of season Kia NBA Performance Awards. Fans have been able to cast their vote for the Kia NBA MVP Award since 2010, but this year the league is allowing fans to vote for four additional awards — Kia NBA Most Improved Player, Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.
Between now and April 13, fans can vote once per day for each award on NBA.com and Twitter. The collective fan votes will count as one vote for each of the Kia NBA Performance Awards and will be included when media votes are tabulated. All award winners will be announced at the second-annual NBA Awards on Monday, June 25.
To vote on NBA.com, simply visit NBA.com/KiaFanVote and fill out a ballot.
To vote on Twitter, fans must tweet the player's first and last name, along with the official hashtags for each of the Kia NBA Performance Awards:
- Most Improved Player: #KiaMIP and #Sweepstakes
- Defensive Player of the Year: #KiaDPOY and #Sweepstakes
- Sixth Man of the Year: #KiaSixth and #Sweepstakes
- Rookie of the Year: #KiaROY and #Sweepstakes
- Most Valuable Player: #KiaROY and #Sweepstakes
The Pacers have several worthy candidates for this year's award. Chief among them, is All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who is widely considered a favorite for Most Improved Player. In his first season in Indiana, Oladipo's stats have improved tremendously across the board from his production last season in Oklahoma City.
As of Tuesday morning, Oladipo was averaging 23.3 points. 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from 3-point range. All of those numbers are career bests for the fifth year guard. By comparison, he averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game with a .442 field goal percentage and .361 3-point percentage last season for Oklahoma City.
As the league leader in steals, Oladipo also has a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year. He has had at least one steal in 60 consecutive games, a franchise record and the sixth-longest streak in NBA history.
The Pacers also boast a trio of potential candidates for Sixth Man of the Year honors. Second-year forward Domantas Sabonis is averaging 11.4 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game. Fan favorite Lance Stephenson always brings energy off the bench and is averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Veteran point guard Cory Joseph is averaging 8.0 rebounds and 3.2 per assists per game and often plays crunch-time minutes because of his work on the defensive end.