Nikola Jokic and Europeans to dominate NBA end-of season awards once again as league lacks quality production from American players

National team compatriot Victor Wembanyama has been the blocks king and will win Rookie of the Year. The rebounding charts is led by Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in steals. The only category that can give an American player an award is assists, led by Tyrese Haliburton.

All in all, it seems the game has gone away from the Americans. They are languishing outside of the top numbers these international players have been putting up. It goes to show that either the Americans have lost their way in the quest to be the best, or that the foreigners are hungrier to make their mark.

Americans need to focus on their game to outplay the Europeans

In recent years, the lead argument against American players has been their lack of focus. It is not as if they do not have the focus to win games, but to be the best, they have to bring a certain elite level of commitment that the greats of the past used to have.

The all-time leading scorer in league history, 39-year-old LeBron James, called out the dedication of the younger Americans have to the game. He suggested that they are focused more on paychecks to buy expensive cars and jewelry instead of striving to be the best.

Excepting Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards, no other American player is anywhere close to matching the output of the Internationals. If this carries on, the foreigners may continue to dominate the end-of-season awards, leaving the nation which houses the league to not have marquee players of their own.