Los Angeles D-Fenders point guard Vander Blue had a heck of a season which ended in being voted MVP of the league.
Twenty-two head coaches voted on who should be the 2016-17 NBA Development League’s Most Valuable Player, and the winner turned out to be Los Angeles Defenders point guard Vander Blue. It was announced by the league on Monday, April 24th.
Playing the entire season for the D-Fenders, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound-all-muscle Blue started in 46 of the 47 games he played. He averaged 24.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Blue is the league’s third-leading scorer. This incredible teammate led his team to a Western Conference-best record on the season at 34-16.
Blue is also the first player in team history to win the league’s top individual honor. He was an NBA D-League All-Star for the last three seasons with the D-Fenders.
On top of that, Blue scored in double figures in 46 out of 47 games. He scored at least 20-points 39 times. He was also named the NBA D-League Player of the Week twice, once on December 26 and again on January 30.
The #DFenders win thanks to a big night from Vander Blue, who has now scored 30+ in three of the last four games. pic.twitter.com/sdHL6hGpZo
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) December 23, 2016
But wait, there’s more:
- Blue leads the D-Fenders in rebounds and all-time points
- His total 4,058 (including postseason) career points rank third in D-League history
- He comes in ranked second in scoring average (22.5)
- He set league records in single-game free throws made (23) and attempted (27) this season
- He finished the year with a new league record in makes from the charity stripe (363)
There is probably not a coach or a teammate who doesn’t want Vander to play for them or have him on their team as a testament to this latest League MVP achievement.
Vander relishes playing in front of the opposing bench, reciprocating taunting from opposing benches, and leaving it all out on the court. Coach Coby Karl relied on Blue all season to help spark the team when behind and Blue didn’t quit until the last second ticked off the clock. The come from behind wins was not only exciting to watch, but they were also unbelievable at times and left some of the players and coaches speechless in post-game press conferences.
https://twitter.com/SportsCrazee/status/851267642304282625
Vander is one of the most personable, intense, funny, full of heart, and endearing basketball players I have ever met. His teammates gush over him, his coaches cannot say enough, the fans love him and the media usually cannot wait to get a piece of him as getting him to smile is not so easy when it comes to his life passion. He wants you to know he takes his career very seriously.
Here is just a taste of his personality:
The last thing Coach Karl told the media after his team’s heartbreaking loss was how much he wanted to help Vander Blue get into the NBA. That just goes to show you what is on his mind, not that they lost the game and the season was over, but that he couldn’t get his star point guard a gig in the NBA.
Here are Vander’s stats and highlights of the season, presenting your 2016-17 MVP!
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | 2P | 2P% | FT | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 47 | 46 | 1638 | 359 | .435 | 85 | .351 | 274 | .469 | 363 | .807 | 240 | 141 | 76 | 3 | 1166 |
| Career | 171 | 155 | 6094 | 1334 | .442 | 283 | .355 | 1051 | .474 | 1073 | .784 | 865 | 644 | 290 | 16 | 4024 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/24/2017.
Must Read: More on Vander Blue from the Lake Show Life....
Calling on all NBA Scouts and coaches! Please give this offensive powerhouse of a basketball player a chance. Every win is glorious for Vander, and every loss is excruciating. Go talk to Coach Karl and the D-Fenders organization. They want nothing more than to tell you all about their MVP and why he should play for your team.