The NBA playoffs have officially begun, and as always, that means the regular season’s awards will soon be handed out. Ballots were officially due on the evening of April 16, before the first Play-In game began, and over the past few seasons, the NBA has begun naming finalists. These finalists are the top-three vote getters for each award, and on Sunday, the NBA announced who is in the running for its seven highest-profile awards. They are as follows:
- Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama and Bam Adebayo
- Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Brandon Miller
- Most Improved Player: Coby White, Alperen Sengun and Tyrese Maxey
- Sixth Man of the Year: Naz Reid, Malik Monk and Bobby Portis
- Clutch Player of the Year: Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Coach of the Year: Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Chris Finch (Timberwolves) and Jamahl Mosley (Magic)
Wembanyama (Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year) and Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP and Clutch Player of the Year) are the only players to be named finalists for multiple awards. Neither are favored to win both, however, as Wembanyama is currently only the betting favorite for Rookie of the Year, while Gilgeous-Alexander rates No. 3 at most books for both of his nominations.
Jokic, a two-time MVP winner, is expected to take home his third award this season. Similarly, Gobert is also in line for a dynastic victory as yet another Defensive Player of the Year award would be his fourth. All other winners would be first-timers, with the early returns favoring Wembanyama, Maxey, Reid, DeRozan and Daigneault, though not every voter has made their ballot public.
The NBA does not release an official schedule of when each award will be given. However, recent years have seen them handed out in the first and second rounds. Last season, the first award was given on the first Monday of the first round, with Jaren Jackson Jr. winning Defensive Player of the Year, while MVP was announced for Joel Embiid ahead of Game 2 of his second-round series against the Boston Celtics. With all the votes tallied and the finalists named, we should know this season’s award winners very, very soon.
