Boston Celtics Midseason Awards

Dec 23, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens argues a call with the official during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

With the All Star break approaching and 43 games played, it is time to acknowledge the standout players for the first half of the Boston Celtics‘ season. While the MVP award may be a little obvious at this point, there are multiple categories with many different deserving players. The Celtics have had a wild and inconsistent start to the season, and injuries have opened up a lot of different opportunities.

The Celtics are currently on a two game losing streak, but were playing their best basketball right before that. They should be right there with the Toronto Raptors when the All Star game comes around, with a real opportunity to take over that second seed. With the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ recent struggles, they are also leaving the door open for some pressure down the stretch for the top seed.

The Celtics still have some undefined roles on the second unit this season, and they have been vocal about needing to improve throughout the rest of the season. That being said, these players being recognized are the biggest reasons the Celtics are so improved from a season ago, particularly on the offensive end.

Here are the awards for Most Valuable Players, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year.

Dec 30, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) shouts after making a basket during the second half against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

MVP: Isaiah Thomas

Even though MVP is seen as the most important award, it goes first because there really is no debate for the Celtics. There was a brief stint at the start of the season, where it appeared as though Avery Bradley could give Thomas some competition for MVP, but that has long been over.

Thomas’ 29 points per game have vaulted him to the second highest scorer in the league, while continuing to build on what may be the greatest season the fourth quarter by any player. Leading the league with over 10 points per fourth quarter, and a chance to topple the king for the best fourth quarter PER of the last 20 years.

Thomas has improved his game in ways that very few could have anticipated. He has been as good of a scorer as anyone in the league this season, and he has sacrificed almost no distribution. With six assists per game, Thomas continues to be the primary play maker on the team. Thomas has switched between on ball and off ball and he has excelled in every situation.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Thomas’ season is how his scoring jumped so high, his usage rate also jumped to a career high, and yet he has reduced his turnovers to just a phenomenal 2.5 per game.

Per 36 minutes, everything gets even better for Thomas. At just 34.2 minutes per game, Thomas ranks 30th in the league. Stevens has always used a deep rotation, and the way he has been utilized certainly plays a factor in how effective Thomas can be in the fourth.

There is no telling where the Celtics would be without Thomas this season. Offense has clearly become their strong suit, and Thomas is their biggest threat from anywhere on the court, and he instigates their best ball movement. Everything starts with Thomas on the offensive end and everyone should be excited that he is showing no signs of slowing down.

Jan 11, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens and point guard Marcus Smart (36) scream from the side line during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Sixth Man of the Year: Marcus Smart

This award becomes a little harder to gauge considering how many different starting lineups there have been with their injuries. Smart has been starting for a little bit now, and will continue to do so while Bradley deals with his injury. That being said, this award is assuming the Celtics are at full strength, in which case Smart is an easy choice for the reward.

Smart has been the one consistent and stable player on the second unit. He continues to be one of the best defensive guards in the league, wins all the hustle plays, and now he is gaining a great command for the offense. His shooting continues to be wildly inconsistent, but his passing has given the second unit an identity.

On top of what he adds to the second unit. Smart becomes even more important with his role in small ball lineups. The Celtics often play with three guards and Smart’s versatility is absolutely vital to maintaining those kinds of lineups.

Smart has distinguished himself as the second most important distributor on the team. There have been a lot of issues with the rest of the second unit, but Smart is the biggest reason why the Celtics do not have to miss Turner as much. Smart is actually less limited on offense (three pointers are at least a possibility), and he is finally catching up as a distributor.

When Bradley is finally healthy again, Smart will return to his role on the bench, but he will be much higher up the ranks in terms of most important players on the team. Smart does more than the Celtics could expect from anyone on the court.

Dec 18, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) looks on during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

MIP: Isaiah Thomas

With so many young players waiting to break out for the Celtics, it is quite a surprise to see Thomas emerging as the most improved player. The best news is that Thomas has gone from the best player on the team, to one of the best players in the league this season.

As a scorer, Thomas has improved in ways that many would have thought not possible. With the aggressiveness that Thomas plays with, his efficiency was never quite up to par with some of the stronger scorers in the league.

This season, his shooting percentage is up form 42.8 percent to 46.1 percent, his three point shooting is up from 35.9 percent to 38.4 percent, and his already incredible free three shooting jumped from 87.1 percent to 90.7 percent. Thomas has improved his shooting across the board, and he is taking 2.2 more three pointers than he did last season. All of that adds up to 6.8 more points per game for Thomas this season, easily the biggest on the team.

Thomas has also improved his already phenomenal ball security, and that has been the most important part of this Celtics team. Their phenomenal ball movement paired with their ability to limit turnovers is the most important aspect of their offense, and Thomas is leading the way with his six assists per game and 2.5 turnovers per game (the lowest in his time with the Celtics).

Thomas has played with a chip on his should his entire career and as he continues to improve each season, the chip grows bigger. Thomas has once again redefined what the Celtics can expect out of him, making it very exciting to think of what more he can still become.

Jan 10, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics forward Al Horford (42) congratulates forward Gerald Green (30) and forward Jae Crowder (99) and guard Marcus Smart (36) against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Celtics 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

DPOY: Al Horford

This was the most difficult award to give out for multiple reasons. The Celtics have multiple standout defenders on their team that certainly deserve this award, but their overall defensive effort makes a case that no one should be given it.

The Celtics have seen their defensive drop off a cliff from a season ago, and that has to be the most important area in improving for the rest of the season. Horford’s inability to rebound almost took the award away from him, but his ability to block shots has been the most impact full aspect of their defense.

One key statistic for Horford has been the ratio of blocks and personal fouls. The Celtics play an aggressive defense and it often gets them in foul trouble. But Horford has managed to get his rim protection done without sending players to the free throw line. Horford’s ratio of 0.78 ranks sixth in the NBA.

The Celtics have struggled on defense this year, but they would be having a different season if their rebounding was not such a problem. If the Celtics managed to get another big that could rebound next to Horford, he would be the anchor and lone rim protector on a team with three other great perimeter defenders.

There is no doubting that Smart, Crowder or Bradley could have won this award. Smart has probably had the biggest impact because of his versatility and ability to make plays on that end. Bradley has been the one player to improved their rebounding on the team, and Crowder draws the most physically imposing match up each game.

Those three set the tone by generating steals, but that has been another area the Celtics have gone down in from last year. The Celtics have a great collection of defenders, but each of them have areas they need to improve in.