The NBA announced their Players, Rookies, and Coaches of the Month for Games Played in the months of October and November. October is included because the season didn’t begin until the 17th of that month.
Here are the individuals that received the monthly honors in both the Eastern and Western Conference.
Eastern Conference Player of the Month: LeBron James
For the 35th time in his historic career, James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month. In 22 games during October/November, he posted per game averages of 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
He shot an impressive 58.3 percent from the field, 42.5 percent on threes, and 75.8 percent from the charity stripe.
Western Conference Player of the Month: James Harden
Now in his ninth season, Harden was named Western Conference Player of the Month for the fifth time. In 21 games through November, he averaged 31.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He made 45.1 percent of his field goal attempts, 40.3 percent of his threes, and 86.6 percent of his free throws.
Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month: Ben Simmons
Simmons, the first overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, missed all of last season due to injury. In his first 20 career games this season, he compiled per game averages of 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks.
He connected on 50.7 percent of his field goal attempts.
Western Conference Rookie of the Month: Kyle Kuzma
The 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Kuzma started 11 of his first 20 games with the Los Angeles Lakers. He put up averages of 16.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals per game. He shot a solid 50.4 percent from the field, 37.9 percent on three-pointers, and 76.8 percent from the foul line.
Eastern Conference Coach of the Month: Brad Stevens
Stevens has helped guide the Boston Celtics to the best record in the NBA through November at 19-4. After starting the season 0-2 and losing Gordon Hayward for the season, Boston was able to reel off 16 consecutive wins. Currently in his fifth NBA season as a head coach, this is the third time Stevens has been named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.
Western Conference Coach of the Month: Mike D’Antoni
D’Antoni’s Houston Rockets own a 17-4 record after the month of November, tops in the Western Conference. He helped lead the team to this impressive start despite star point guard Chris Paul missing 14 of the 21 games. The two-time Coach of the Year has now been named Western Conference Coach of the Month seven times.