Giannis, Zion, Ja Morant headline Cowherd's NBA Awards

With the 2021-22 NBA regular season in the books, it's time for Colin Cowherd to hand out his annual awards to the best — and the worst — performances on and off the court this year.

Cowherd listed some of his awards on the latest episode of "The Herd" ahead of the NBA playoffs, which begin Saturday.

Let's get to it!

Most Exciting Player: Ja Morant

Cowherd's thoughts: "He has the third-most points in the league in the paint. Now, what does that mean? When little guys attack the rim and dunk over big guys, it's awesome, and it doesn't happen much. I said coming into the league, he's [Russell] Westbrook with a better jumper and more self-awareness. His ability to attack the rim at his size — he's 175 pounds — and jam over bigger defenders makes him the most exciting player in the league."

Most Surprising Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Cowherd's thoughts: "They finished with the second-best record in the league, were very good against the Phoenix Suns and [the] Golden State Warriors, and have the youngest roster in the league at 24 years of age. When Ja Morant got hurt, they went 19-2. Their offensive net rating got better when their star was hurt. I don't think anybody saw that coming."

Most Dramatic Team: Brooklyn Nets

Cowherd's thoughts: "They had an anti-vaxxer. They had a player quit on their team. I mean, the [Los Angeles] Lakers were dysfunctional, [but] it wasn't that dramatic. We knew they were bad Week 1. The Nets had to make a massive trade at the trading deadline. I will say this, though. Despite having the most lineups in the NBA — 43 starting lineups — I like them to beat the [Boston] Celtics."

Sleeping Giants: Denver Nuggets

Cowherd's thoughts: "They [are] the best shooting team in the league since the All-Star break. They shoot over 51%. [Nikola] Jokic is the best passing big man since either Arvydas Sabonis or Bill Walton. Jamal Murray could return for the playoffs, and they're one of two teams — the Milwaukee Bucks are the other — to reach the conference semis each of the last three years. So the question is: Is this year a breakthrough year for them? … Keep your eye on the Nuggets."

Biggest Pretender: Boston Celtics

Cowherd's thoughts: "In clutch-time statistics, they were the second-worst team in the league. They're incredibly reliant on Jayson Tatum. … They were [an] interesting road team. They often played better on the road than at home. … I think they won a lot of games [in the regular season] on intensity, coaching and effort, but in the playoffs, everybody plays hard for every game. They lose that advantage. They'll be out in the first round."

Least-Improved Player: Russell Westbrook

Cowherd's thoughts: "Fourth-highest paid player in the league at $44 million. That's ahead of LeBron [James] and Kevin Durant. [Ben] Simmons can drive us nuts, but he didn't really play. With Westbrook, he did virtually the impossible. The Lakers were better when he was off the floor, and he's the only player I can think of that didn't work with KD or LeBron. They both had to move off him. … It was a disaster."

Player I Missed The Most: Zion Williamson

Cowherd's thoughts: "I know what [Damian Lillard] and Kawhi [Leonard] are. I don't know what Zion is. If you go back and look at his rookie year, he's the last player to average 20-plus points in his rookie year. He was dominant. He had Wilt [Chamberlain] efficiency numbers. First player to go 25 points a game before turning 21 in league history. What is the ceiling with Zion? I don't even know … Still don't know. Can't wait to see him back on the floor."

Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Cowherd's thoughts: "Here's all you need to know about Giannis. Milwaukee's got a championship-level team. They've got multiple good players. When he's on the floor, they outscored opponents by 400 points. When he was off the floor this year, they were outscored by 122 points. … His ability to stay healthy, his game has evolved … total team guy, very patient, incredibly loyal."