Hard as it may be to believe, the NBA has reached the midpoint of its season. Most teams have played at least half of their season’s games. That being the case, it is an excellent time to take a look back and find the players that have really stood out so far. Having determined who deserves the top prizes, I am pleased to present this fantasy basketball midseason prizes special edition. Let the drum roll begin!

Most Valuable Player

Steph Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors

Without question, this award could just have easily went to Nikola Jokić or LeBron James. However, Stephen Curry came out of the gate on fire and has kept it going all season. As of this writing, Curry is averaging 26.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. His points per game is sixth in the NBA. Of the players ahead of him, Curry has played the most games on the season. His fantasy managers can depend on Curry being in their fantasy lineups on a regular basis. That is no small feat given the number of injuries and virus absences so far this year.

Additionally, for a point guard to average five and a half rebounds per game is pretty amazing, but right in line with what Curry has done the last five years. Fouling Curry isn’t the answer, either, as he shoots 91 percent from the line. Add in the fact that Curry could be had at the later stages of the first round, and he returns value like no one else in the MVP race. Keep an eye on the players above as well as Ja Morant in the second half. At the midseason point, though, Curry is the fantasy MVP.

Most Improved Player

Dejounte Murray, PG, San Antonio Spurs

When searching for the most improved player, it was noticed that no one increased their averages across every statistic from last season except Dejounte Murray. Whether it is points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocks per game, Murray’s stats have all improved from the end of last season to the midway point. Murray averages 19.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. The steals just happens to be the highest total in the NBA.

Amazingly, Murray has increased his per game scoring average every season he has been in the league. How many other players can make that claim? Anyone questioning how great Murray has been only needs to look at his game on January 12. How does a triple-double sound? Murray scored 32 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Murray also scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his next game against Cleveland. San Antonio has gone into the tank this season, but that can’t be blamed on Murray. Managers fortunate enough to draft Murray only need to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Best Rookie

Evan Mobley, Power Forward, Clevland Cavaliers

Without question, the race for fantasy rookie of the year is going to come down to the very last game before a definite winner can be declared. Players such as Cade Cunningham and Franz Wagner have played brilliantly thus far. However, all of them are behind Evan Mobley right now. The Cavaliers are one of the surprise teams of the season and Mobley is a huge reason why.

Mobley enters play as this is being written averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In addition, Mobley is shooting 50.8 percent from the field. He leads all rookies in rebounding and is fifth in points. Cleveland has to be beside itself that it was able to select Mobley with the third pick of the draft. As mentioned, the other players are coming on strong, but at the midpoint of the season, Mobley is the top fantasy rookie.

Biggest Fantasy Bust

Kemba Walker, PG, New York Knicks

Normally, players that are injured would not find themselves on this list. However, an exception will be made for Kemba Walker this year. It is hard to imagine a player being a bigger bust than Walker is at the midpoint of a season. Even before his knee injury, Walker found himself taken completely out of the rotation by coach Tom Thibodeau. In fact, this season has been going downhill for Walker pretty much since the first game’s opening whistle.

Walker began the year with a stretch where he failed to score in double figures in eight of 10 games. He also appeared in ten games where he played 23 minutes or less. Then came games 20 through 29 in which Walker didn’t appear at all and Thibodeau made the announcement he was taking Walker out of the rotation. Injuries to others in the backcourt got Walker back into action from games 19 through 24.

Alas, the knee injury knocked Walker out and he hasn’t been seen since. For the year, he is averaging 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Obviously, that was not the production that any fantasy manager was looking for out of Walker this season. The stats and the fact his own coach actively kept him out of games is enough to qualify Walker as the biggest bust on this fantasy basketball midseason prizes edition.

Best Tom Brady Impression

LeBron James, All Over the Court, Los Angeles Lakers

When fantasy basketball drafts began this year, there were quite a few managers that shied away from LeBron James. Put simply, there were good reasons for such concern. James would sit out games. His production would surely go down. Both of those expectations were dead wrong. Since missing eight games early in the season, James has appeared in the last 20 straight Laker contests.

Not only that, but James has been as productive as ever this season. That is an amazing statement given that James is now 37 years of age. James is averaging 28.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 51.9 percent shooting. The points and rebound averages are above his career norms, as is the shooting percentage. Los Angeles is a shell of its former self, but that sure isn’t James’ fault. Like Tom Brady, James just keeps rolling along supplying top end production. James may well be the fantasy MVP at the end of the season and that statement alone qualifies him for this special Brady award.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy basketball midseason prizes edition! As always, I welcome suggestions, questions and input from all of my readers. Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for all the latest NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the sports news!