December – the twelfth month of the year, of course. It’s derived from the Latin word decem, which means, obviously, “ten” or “the tenth month”. Some of the highlights of the month include Christmas, my birthday, and assorted activities related to each. The NBA world was mostly focused on playing basketball, based on which I’ve divvied up the awards below. Enjoy.
Fantasy Basketball Awards December 2025
Most Valuable Player – Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Stats: 13 GP, 34.3 MIN, 19.2 FGA, 0.566 FG%, 2.2 3PTM, 7.9 FTA, 0.854 FT%, 30.6 PTS, 11.8 REB, 11 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.8 BLK, 3.5 TO
Before going down with a left knee hyperextension in late December, Jokic was having perhaps the best month of his career. At least as far as fantasy basketball is concerned. The gap to the second-best player (Kawhi Leonard) was as big as the gap between the second and the tenth-best player. Obviously, the injury is brutal for many fantasy players and potentially season-ending depending on league settings. A tentative return date could perhaps be set to after the All-Star break, which would still leave a run-up to form for fantasy playoffs, so perhaps not all is lost.
All-Fantasy First Team
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
SG: Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
PF: Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
C: Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Rookie of the Month – Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)
Stats: 13 GP, 35.5 MIN, 17.2 FGA, 0.516 FG%, 1 3PTM, 6 FTA, 0.808 FT%, 23.5 PTS, 6.2 REB, 4.8 AST, 1 STL, 1.2 BLK, 2.4 TO
After taking a month to settle in properly and perhaps being somewhat derailed by the point guard experiment, Cooper Flagg is playing far and away as the best rookie this season. While Flagg has had a couple of slow games in January, it is clear that the future is bright and Flagg will be the focal point of the Dallas Mavericks. Particularly if and when Anthony Davis is traded.
All-Fantasy All-Rookie First Team
PG: Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)
SG: VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)
SF: Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets)
PF: Derik Queen (New Orleans Pelicans)
C: Maxime Raynaud (Sacramento Kings)
Sophomore of the Month – Kel’el Ware (Miami Heat)
Stats: 13 GP, 24.9 MIN, 8.3 FGA, 0.611 FG%, 1.8 3PTM, 1.4 FTA, 0.833 FT%, 13.1 PTS, 10.4 REB, 0.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 1.2 BLK, 1 TO
Kel’el Ware makes it two out of two Sophomore of the Month awards in 2025-26. Ware has been a top 20 fantasy player this season, yet his spot on the Heat rotation is oddly precarious, which is reflected by his relatively low playing time. Ware is liable to have dud games now and again, but all in all, he’s carried well by his strong numbers in rebounds, blocks, and percentages.
All-Fantasy All-Sophomore First Team
PG: Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets)
SG: Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder)
SF: Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)
PF: Kel’el Ware (Miami Heat)
C: Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers)
Most Improved Player – Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)
Stats (2024-25): 67 GP, 31.4 MIN, 13.7 FGA, 0.391 FG%, 2.6 3PTM, 4.3 FTA, 0.818 FT%, 16.8 PTS, 3.8 REB, 5.6 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.1 BLK, 2.7 TO
Stats (December): 13 GP, 35.2 MIN, 17.7 FGA, 0.474 FG%, 3.4 3PTM, 8.3 FTA, 0.907 FT%, 27.7 PTS, 4.8 REB, 6.8 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.3 BLK, 3.2 TO
Keyonte George is finally hitting his stride after a lot of promise. Probably the key improvement has been in scoring, where he’s much better from anywhere on the court than in years past. Are the Jazz now too good to properly tank? Maybe, but they’re still unlikely to challenge for the playoffs. The direction the team takes regarding the possible Lauri Markkanen trade will be key for the future. The future, in which Keyonte George will likely play a big part, regardless.
Most Declined Player – Coby White (Chicago Bulls)
Stats (2024-25): 74 GP, 33.1 MIN, 15.1 FGA, 0.453 FG%, 2.9 3PTM, 4.1 FTA, 0.902 FT%, 20.4 PTS, 3.7 REB, 4.5 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.2 BLK, 2.4 TO
Stats (December): 11 GP, 26.9 MIN, 12.1 FGA, 0.444 FG%, 1.8 3PTM, 5.5 FTA, 0.787 FT%, 16.9 PTS, 3.3 REB, 4 AST, 0.6 STL, 0 BLK, 2.9 TO
Looking at the stats above, it doesn’t look too bad for Coby White, but a small decline everywhere adds up to a large decline overall. Now, fair enough, White was returning from an injury, so this is unlikely to be an indicator of the rest of his career, but these are the numbers for December. Coby White was the Most Declined Player.
Best Single-Category Player – Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers) – FT%
Stats: 12 GP, 36 MIN, 6.6 FTM, 6.8 FTA, 96.3 FT%
Kawhi Leonard is having a major career resurgence. You could have probably found him in “do not draft” lists before the season, yet he’s playing better than he’s done in years. In fact, Leonard is currently averaging 28.3 points per game, which would be his career high. And he’s leading the league with a 96% from the free-throw line. With his injury history and the salary cap circumvention allegations, are the wheels about to come off?!
Performance of the Month – Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 2025-12-25 vs. MIN
Stats: 43 MIN, 21 FGA, 0.714 FG%, 4 3PTM, 23 FTA, 0.957 FT%, 56 PTS, 16 REB, 15 AST, 0 STL, 2 BLK, 5 TO
Before going down with the injury, Nikola Jokic gave us all a lovely Christmas present with a stocky triple-double. Wilt-like numbers, dare I say.
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