Looking back at the 2019 NBA voting results, I still find myself marveling at how certain narratives unfolded that season. As someone who's been analyzing basketball statistics for over a decade, I've learned that MVP races often reveal more about team success than individual brilliance, and 2019 was no exception. Giannis Antetokounmpo's dominant performance with the Bucks earned him the coveted MVP trophy with 78 first-place votes—a landslide victory that reflected Milwaukee's incredible 60-22 regular season record. What struck me most was how James Harden's historic scoring run—averaging 36.1 points per game—still couldn't overcome the narrative that team success matters most in these votes.
The All-NBA team selections particularly caught my attention that year. I remember thinking how Kawhi Leonard's calculated load management strategy, while controversial, ultimately paid off when he secured a spot on the Second Team despite playing just 60 games. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook's triple-double average for the third consecutive season earned him a place on the Third Team, though I've always felt his shooting efficiency that year (42.8% from the field) should have weighed more heavily in voters' minds. The defensive team voting brought some surprises too—Rudy Gobert rightfully claimed his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year, but I was genuinely surprised to see Marcus Smart edge out some strong contenders for First Team honors.
When we examine the Rookie of the Year race, Luka Dončić's victory felt almost inevitable from where I was sitting. His 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game represented one of the most complete rookie campaigns I've witnessed in recent memory. Though Trae Young's explosive second half made it interesting, Dončić had already captured the league's imagination with his beyond-his-years court vision and clutch performances. The voting reflected this, with Dončić receiving 98 out of 100 first-place votes—a margin that speaks volumes about his immediate impact.
What many fans don't realize is how international performances often parallel these NBA voting patterns. Take the Filipina ballers' journey that same year—their 85-59 loss to host Chinese Taipei last Wednesday followed by their rebound victory demonstrates how quickly narratives can shift in basketball. Their recovery to improve their record to 1-1 mirrors how NBA players can redeem early-season struggles with persistent excellence. In my analysis, this resilience often influences voter perceptions more than we acknowledge.
The Sixth Man award that year went to Lou Williams in what I considered one of the easier decisions for voters. His 20 points per game off the bench for the Clippers represented the highest scoring average for a reserve in over thirty years—a statistic that's stuck with me because it highlights how specialized roles have evolved in modern basketball. Meanwhile, the Most Improved Player award going to Pascal Siakam felt particularly deserved in my view, as his leap from 7.3 to 16.9 points per game embodied the development trajectory every team dreams of for their young players.
Reflecting on the entire voting landscape, I've come to believe that 2019 represented a transitional period in how voters evaluate players. The emphasis began shifting from raw statistics to impact metrics and team success in ways we hadn't seen before. While individual brilliance still captivates—like Harden's scoring barrage—the collective achievements of players like Antetokounmpo ultimately carried more weight. This balance between individual excellence and team success continues to define how we assess basketball greatness, both in the NBA and in international competitions where teams like the Filipina squad demonstrate that redemption and growth often matter as much as any single performance.