Josh Lewenberg TSN Raptors Reporter Follow|Archive

It's award season in the NBA, and with the Raptors set to close the campaign in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, we're handing out some imaginary hardware to the team's top performers from the regular season. The awards were decided with some help from our Twitter fan poll and Toronto's players, who each picked their own winners. Here are the results:

Defensive Player of the Year

Players’ pick: Bismack Biyombo

Bismack Biyombo: 60% (9)

Kyle Lowry: 27% (4)

DeMarre Carroll: 7% (1)

DeMar DeRozan: 7% (1)



Fan pick: Biyombo

Bismack Biyombo: 67%

Patrick Patterson: 17%

Kyle Lowry: 11%

Cory Joseph: 5%



TSN.ca pick: Biyombo

Biyombo came to Toronto as one of the league's more unheralded and undervalued rim protectors. While his offence has evolved some throughout his first season as a Raptor, the impact he's had on the defensive end has been as big as advertised, perhaps even more so. The backup centre is second on the team in rebounds, averaging a career-high 8.0 boards, and leads them in blocked shots (1.6), good for second-most among regular reserves in the NBA. Adopting Dikembe Mutombo's signature finger wag, Biyombo has helped solidify the back end of Toronto's defence, which is among the league's most improved. Opponents are shooting just 45 per cent against him at the rim, according to NBA.com's SportVu data, good for the fifth-best mark in the NBA, behind only Rudy Gobert, Serge Ibaka, Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams, and ahead of noted defenders like Marc Gasol, Robin Lopez, DeAndre Jordan, Draymond Green and Hassan Whiteside. As a team, the Raptors are giving up 4.0 points less per 100 possessions with him on the floor.

This season, the Raptors have surrendered the fifth-fewest number of points to opposing point guards, down from third-most last year. While Biyombo and the interior defence deserve a lot of credit for closing off the lane, so do the perimeter defenders, particularly Joseph and Lowry, both honourable mentions in this category. Outside of Biyombo, Joseph has been Toronto’s best and most consistent defender. Lowry, among the league leaders in drawing charges again, is having a bounce-back year on that end of the floor. Carroll was probably the odds-on favourite to win this award heading into the season, but he missed 56 games due to injury. With that in mind, he was almost embarrassed to have received a vote, courtesy of DeRozan, but said his goal is to not only be Toronto's best defender next year, but earn his way onto one of the NBA's all-defensive teams.

Most Improved Player

Players pick: Patrick Patterson

Patrick Patterson: 27% (4)

Norman Powell: 20% (3)

Jonas Valanciunas: 13% (2)

Cory Joseph: 13% (2)

DeMar DeRozan: 13% (2)

Terrence Ross: 7% (1)

Delon Wright: 7% (1)

Note: Some of the players who were not with the Raptors last year voted for someone they've seen the most improvement in since the start of the season.



Fan pick: Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas: 33%

DeMar DeRozan 30%

Cory Joseph: 20%

Patrick Patterson: 17%



TSN.ca pick: DeMar DeRozan

You can make a legitimate case for just about anyone here as most of Toronto's rotation players have enjoyed career seasons and/or exceeded expectations. It also depends on how you define most improved. For the player vote, some of the guys who were not with the team last season picked someone who has grown since the start of the season and, if that's your criteria, Powell is the easy choice. An expanded role has had a lot to do with his late-season emergence, but the rapid improvement we've seen in his game, particularly on the offensive end, is also a factor. Known primarily as a slasher coming into the NBA, Powell is blossoming into a well-rounded scorer. Since starting his career 1-for-14 from beyond the arc, he's hit 30 of his 69 three-point attempts (43 per cent). Although Joseph and Biyombo weren't with the team last year, they've grown as players in their first season as Raptors, as have returning bigs Valanciunas and Patterson.

The nod here goes to DeRozan, who has rebounded from an injury-shortened campaign to put together the best season of his seven-year career. Overall, his weaknesses have become less glaring. He's taking fewer tough mid-range jumpers, driving to the basket more than ever and passing better out of double teams. He's had some nice moments on the defensive end and he's even been passable as a three-point shooter 34 per cent is a personal best and he continues to excel from the corners. However, he's truly become elite at the things he does well. He leads the NBA in points off drives and only two players — James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins — get to the line more often. Still just 26, DeRozan has improved steadily throughout his career, but the jump he's taken this season will earn him a max contact.

Sixth Man

Players pick: Cory Joseph

Cory Joseph: 40% (6)

Terrence Ross: 25% (3.8)

Patrick Patterson: 19% (2.8)

Bismack Biyombo: 9% (1.3)

Jason Thompson: 7% (1)



Fan pick: Patrick Patterson

Patrick Patterson: 32%

Cory Joseph: 31%

Bismack Biyombo: 31%

Terrence Ross: 6%



TSN.ca pick: Patrick Patterson

Entering the season as the expected starter, Patterson found himself in a familiar role coming off the bench after a quiet training camp. Some in the organization believe he's better suited as a reserve and while we've debated that at length in this space throughout the year, it's hard to argue with the results. Patterson has been the unsung hero of one of the league's most lethal bench units. The Raptors bench outscored opponents by 6.9 points per 100 possessions, second in the NBA behind the Spurs, and they've done it despite ranking 26th in scoring. Their calling card is defence, and while Joseph and Biyombo deserve to share in the credit, there's a reason why Patterson is included in many of Toronto's most productive lineups.

The Raptors have outscored teams by 394 points with him on the floor this season — the best mark on the team. He's one of the smartest players they have and rarely makes a mistake on defence as a result. He's usually where he needs to be, when he needs to be there and is versatile to the point in which he can switch onto and guard just about any position on the floor. After an early-season shooting slump, Patterson is hitting his threes at a 41 per cent rate since Jan. 1, fourth-best among bigs over that span. Whether his shot is falling or not, his effort, improved rebounding and steady defence have been a constant all year.

Most Valuable Player

Players pick: Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry: 53% (8)

DeMar DeRozan: 40% (6)

Patrick Patterson: 7% (1)



Fan pick: Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry: 70%

DeMar DeRozan: 10%

Tie: 20%



TSN.ca pick: Kyle Lowry

It says something about a team when the two best players vote each other for MVP — and truly believe the other is more deserving — while most of their teammates insist it’s a tie and pick both. Lowry and DeRozan, Toronto's all-star duo, have become synonymous with Raptors basketball, both in the locker room and around the league. For the reasons listed above, DeRozan is fully deserving of being a co-leader on the team and in the conversation for this most prestigious of the fake awards, but the Raptors go as Kyle Lowry goes, and for proof of that watch any of the games he's sat out to rest.

When Lowry's at his best he's an undeniable superstar, a difference-maker on both ends of the floor and the lifeblood of this team's identity. With the exception of a fluke late-season elbow injury, the 30-year-old has held up well after coming to camp in the best shape of his life. He's been great before but never for a sustained stretch like this. He's averaging career-highs across the board and ranks eighth in the NBA in win shares (an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player), second in the East behind LeBron James.

Player ballots

Kyle Lowry

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Joseph

Sixth Man: Joseph

MVP: DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan

Defensive Player: Carroll

Most Improved: Valanciunas

Sixth Man: Ross

MVP: Lowry

Jonas Valanciunas

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Patterson

Sixth Man: Joseph

MVP: DeRozan

DeMarre Carroll

Defensive Player: Lowry

Most Improved: Valanciunas

Sixth Man: Joseph

MVP: DeRozan

Luis Scola

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Joseph

Sixth Man: Patterson

MVP: Lowry

Terrence Ross

Defensive Player: Lowry

Most Improved: Powell

Sixth Man: Ross

MVP: DeRozan/Lowry

Patrick Patterson

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Patterson

Sixth Man: Joseph

MVP: Lowry

Bismack Biyombo

Defensive Player: Lowry

Most Improved: Wright

Sixth Man: Patterson

MVP: DeRozan/Lowry

Cory Joseph

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Powell

Sixth Man: Patterson/Ross/Biyombo

MVP: DeRozan/Lowry

Norman Powell

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Patterson

Sixth Man: Joseph

MVP: DeRozan/Lowry

James Johnson

Defensive Player: DeRozan

Most Improved: Patterson

Sixth Man: Thompson

MVP: Patterson

Jason Thompson

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: Powell

Sixth Man: Patterson/Ross

MVP: DeRozan/Lowry

Delon Wright

Defensive Player: Lowry

Most Improved: Ross

Sixth Man: Biyombo

MVP: Lowry

Lucas Nogueira

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: DeRozan

Sixth Man: Joseph

MVP: DeRozan/Lowry

Bruno Caboclo

Defensive Player: Biyombo

Most Improved: DeRozan

Sixth Man: Ross

MVP: Lowry