7 NBA awards Houston Rockets have a chance at winning this year

Scoring Champion – James Harden

This pick is probably the biggest lock of everything on this list. Over the course of his 10 seasons in the league, James Harden has increased his scoring average every season but once. In the last two seasons, The Beard averaged 30.4 and then 36.1 points per game, which led the NBA both years.

With even more moves in his arsenal than ever, Harden has solidified himself as the toughest player to guard one-on-one for the past several years. With one of the best finishers at the rim in Clint Capela, James always has an easy option to go to when being guarded closely.

Now with Russell Westbrook to share the court with, opposing defenses will have to pick their poison in a deadly offensive lineup, which is likely to free Harden up even more for huge scoring nights.

Odds: Virtual lock

Assist Leader – Russell Westbrook

Like Harden, Russell Westbrook has also finished with a league-leading statistic for the past two seasons. The Brodie averaged 10.3 and 10.7 assists per game over the last two years, which easily led the NBA on both occasions.

Now with an offensively loaded roster to work with, Westbrook is set up to set a new career-high for a season in assists. Mike D’Antoni has never been shy about playing his superstars heavy minutes, so the opportunity will certainly be there for Russell to load up on dimes.

The only argument against Westbrook potentially increasing his assist numbers this season is if James Harden dominates the ball more than expected. As it stands now, D’Antoni is still figuring out how long the duo will be on the floor together, so time will tell in that regard.

Odds: Very good

Next: DPOY & COTY