The long awaited return of “Heat Check” is finally here. I’ve been trying to catch up on the NBA the last few days, didn’t want to write this and not know my stuff so I apologize for the delay. We are just past the quarter-pole of the regular season and there has been some interesting situations brewing so far in the NBA.

Golden State and Cleveland are holding down the top spots in their respective conferences, so no surprises there. Russell Westbrook is putting up video-game numbers for Oklahoma City. A few teams are already in “tank” mode, and shockingly none of those teams reside in Philadelphia. The 2016-17 season is off to a rousing start, so today I’m going to go through my individual award picks through the first quarter of the season. I’ll also give my surprise team and disappointing team so far this season as well.

MVP: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

This one should come as no surprise here. Westbrook has been playing like a man possessed all year. His stats are just absurd so far. He is averaging a triple-double on the season, and is just an offensive machine right now. Westbrook’s 12 triple-doubles are by far the most in the NBA this season. Despite the incredibly high volume that Westbrook operates with on a nightly basis, he is second in the NBA in the PER (player efficiency rating) advanced metric among qualified players.

The only thing that could keep him from winning his first MVP at season’s end is where Oklahoma City ends up in the standings. OKC is currently sixth in the Western Conference, and will need to make the playoffs in order for Westbrook to be in the discussion.

There is precedent though for the MVP coming from a non-playoff team but that hasn’t been done since the 1975-76 season where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award where his team missed the playoffs. There were only 18 teams in the NBA back then though.

Rookie of the Year: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

 This one is a no-brainer for me. Embiid has been a force for Philadelphia this season. There is no rookie that is more valuable to his team this season than Embiid is for the Sixers. He’s averaging 18.7 points per game, and 7.6 rebounds per game. Embiid leads all rookies in double-doubles, and that is despite playing with a minute restriction and being held out of one game of any back-to-backs for Philadelphia. That will have to change by season’s end and health is obviously a primary concern for the man known as “The Process.” He is getting stiff competition from his teammate Dario Saric, which could turn into a nice little race for the ROY. Everything in Philly will change whenever Ben Simmons steps onto the court though so we’ll need to keep a watchful eye on this young 76ers team.

Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Who would have thought that the offensive juggernaut Warriors would have a player in the DPOY race? Draymond Green is making quite a case for the award though. He is currently averaging 2.4 steals per game and 1.4 blocks per game for a player that spends most of his time playing center for Golden State. That’s pretty impressive for a guy that usually ends up with a size-disadvantage at his position.

Another interesting stat for Green’s DPOY case, he has a -4.6 rating for shooting percentage differential (increase/decrease of shooting percentage of opposing player), which is only rivaled by Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis who has a -4.8 rating. Now, I still think that Kawhi Leonard is going to make a strong push to win this award for the third consecutive season, but right now Green is the guy leading the way for DPOY.

Coach of the Year: Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets

You read that one right folks, Mike D’Antoni has this Rockets team right back where they were two seasons ago. He has completely changed the fortunes of Houston after a lost season a year ago. The Rockets are 18-7 in a tough Western Conference, which is currently good for the fourth in the current standings. Houston is also riding a seven-game winning streak.

My concern for the rest of the season is that the Rockets are in the bottom third in the league in points allowed per game. That is something that could eventually catch up to them by season’s end. However, I think we are seeing a much better overall product from the Rockets and we have to give credit where credit is due.

Disappointing Team So Far: Boston Celtics (13-11, 5^th in the East)

This is a team everyone was pegging for a 60-win season a couple of months ago. Boston added All-Star power forward Al Horford to the mix, but whiffed in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. On the court, something looks off about this team. Much has been made about the effect of free-agent departure of Evan Turner to the chemistry of this team. Truthfully, the stat the worries me the most about the Celtics is the team ranking 25^th in the NBA in rebounds. That is a porous stat for a team with high expectations come playoff time.

Boston currently ranks in the middle of the NBA in points per game and points allowed (14^th and 13^th respectively). There is nothing that this team can really hang its hat on right now and that is not a good sign. Isaiah Thomas has been the bright spot for this struggling team but he is currently dealing with a groin injury.

Better days should be ahead for the Celtics, especially playing in the weaker Eastern Conference. Coach Brad Stevens likes the way his team is playing right now despite having lost three out of the last four. This team needs to gel quickly though to make up ground in the East.

Surprise Team So Far: Utah Jazz (15-10, 7^th in the West)

This was a tough one for me to pick because it is still pretty early in the season, and things don’t really pick up until the All-Star break. Now you may be saying to yourself, why is a 15-10 team a surprise? Despite injuries to George Hill and Derrick Favors, the Utah is 8-2 in its last ten games. The real surprise comes when you delve into the numbers.

Utah is nothing special on the offensive end of the floor and on the glass (24^th in PPG, 28^th in assists, and 22^nd in rebounds). The Jazz makes its mark on the defensive end, where it ranks as the top team in the NBA in points allowed (95.5 per game) and fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency. In an offensively dominated league, a team that can grind out games is going to be a tough out on a nighty basis.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with “Reality of Fantasy” and “No Huddle” to get you ready for Week 15 of the NFL. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.