On Wednesday, the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month for December were announced by the NBA. On Thursday, both conference's Players and Rookies of the Month were also revealed. Here is how all of the monthly winners fared in December.
Eastern Conference Player of the Month: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James played in 14 games in the month of December and had per game averages of 27.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He finished the month with shooting numbers of 52.4 percent from the field, 34.6 percent on three-pointers, and 80.4 percent from the free throw line.
The 33-year-old had triple-doubles in five of the 14 games.
This is the 36th time in James' 15-year career that he has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Month. He also received the monthly honor in November.
Western Conference Player of the Month: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season's MVP, Westbrook played in all 17 of the Thunder’s games in December with the team going 12-5. The 29-year-old averaged 27.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the month. He had six triple-doubles and seven other games with a double-double.
This is the eighth time in Westbrook's 10-year career that he has been named Western Conference Player of the Month.
Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Boston went 11-6 in December and Tatum appeared (and started) in all 17 games. He finished the month averaging 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. His accurate shooting culminated in monthly totals of 52.9 percent from the field, 45.1 percent on three-pointers, and 81.9 percent on free throws.
The third overall pick in last June's draft had three point/rebound double-doubles in December.
This is the first time that Tatum has been named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.
Western Conference Rookie of the Month: Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Mitchell played in 13 games during the month of December and finished with per game averages of 23.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks.
He shot an impressive 50.7 percent from the field, 35.8 percent on threes, and 88.2 percent from the charity stripe. He started the month off with a 41-point outing and had four other games with at least 29 points.
This is the first time that Mitchell, the 13th overall selection in last June's draft, has been named Western Conference Rookie of the Month.
Eastern Conference Coach of the Month: Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors
Dwane Casey's Raptors went 11-3 during the month of December. Toronto started off December with four straight wins and also had a six-game winning streak in the month. They took care of business on their home court, going 6-0. Now in his seventh season as head coach with Toronto, Casey has now been named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month five times.
Western Conference Coach of the Month: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, led by head coach Steve Kerr, finished a superb month of December with a 13-2 record. They won the first ten games of the month and went 6-0 on the road. Kerr has been named Western Conference Coach of the Month six times in his four seasons with Golden State.
