Los Angeles D-Fenders guard Vander Blue has been named the 2016-17 NBA Development League Most Valuable Player in a vote by the league’s 22 head coaches.

In his fourth season in the NBA D-League and his third with the D-Fenders, Blue ranked third in the league in scoring with 24.8 points per game and added 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a team-high 1.6 steals in 47 games (46 starts).  A two-time NBA D-League Player of the Week this season, Blue helped the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA D-League affiliate finish tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 34-16.  Los Angeles improved by seven victories from last season and posted the second-most wins in franchise history (38 in 2011-12).

This season, the three-time NBA D-League All-Star cracked the top 10 on the league’s all-time scoring list, finishing the season ranked third with 4,024 points.  

Raptors 905’s Jerry Stackhouse has been named the NBA Development League Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year in a vote by his fellow NBA D-League head coaches.

Stackhouse, in his first season as a head coach, led Raptors 905 (39-11) to its first Central Division title and the top overall seed in the 2017 NBA D-League Playoffs. Raptors 905 opened the season 10-2 and posted winning streaks of 10 games (Jan. 6 – 31) and nine games (Feb. 9 – March 4). The team also set an NBA D-League record with 21 road victories.

Stackhouse was named head coach of Raptors 905 after serving as an assistant coach last season with the Toronto Raptors.

Raptors 905 center Edy Tavares, who received a Call-Up to the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 12, has been named the 2016-17 NBA Development League Defensive Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s 22 head coaches. 
 
Taveras (7-3, 265) appeared in 48 games for Raptors 905 this season, anchoring a defense that held opponents to a league-low 98.0 points per game and 42.8 percent shooting. Raptors 905 allowed 94.5 points per 100 possessions when Tavares was on the court.
 
Taveras tied for the NBA D-League lead with 2.7 blocks per game. On March 25, he recorded an NBA D-League season-high 12 blocks as part of a triple-double that included 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also averaged 10.6 points on 59.1 percent shooting (eighth in the league) and 7.7 rebounds.