The NBA Awards is composed of the MVP or Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year. Each year, these awards are given to the players who are deserving for each category. Now, as the season goes on, I'll give you my early predictions for some of these awards.
Most Valuable Player
The MVP Award is the highest achievement for a player in the regular season. The MVP Award is mostly given to the best player of the best team. Like last season, the Houston Rockets is the top seed in the NBA and the award is given to James Harden. And from the past few years, Stephen Curry got the award playing his best basketball with the best team. But it's not always like that, the MVP award can be won by players who are not in the top seed team.
As of now, the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks are the top teams in the Eastern Conference and the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics are the contenders. The Celtics are struggling but they are now starting to find some rhythm. The Sixers looks good with the addition of Butler and the Bucks are sleepers with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way.
In the Western Conference, the Warriors are still the best team even if they are not the top seed. Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks are the sleepers in the West. The Houston Rockets are struggling right now and still couldn't find their groove. They are not even in the top 8 after 30 games this season. The Lakers are also looking good with LeBron James carrying them to the 4th seed in the West.
The front runners for the MVP award as of now are Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Kyle Lowry. Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic are runner ups. Those players are the best of the best but it's hard to determine who's gonna be the MVP with just 30 games for the season. But so far, in my opinion, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most deserving in this list. Giannis is averaging 26.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game and the Bucks are standing at the 2nd seed with a record of 20 wins and 9 losses. Giannis is taking the Bucks to another level and he is aiming seriously for a championship. His game has evolved rapidly at a young age. He has now established himself as one of the best at his young age.
Defensive Player of the Year
The defensive player of the year is an award that is hard to achieve. Defense is not always seen in stats. The hustle and grind of a player plus energy is a huge factor. As of today, I think that Joel Embiid and JaVale McGee are the front runners. Hassan Whiteside has a strong case but his limited minutes is holding him back. JaVale, I think has the most chance if he continues his brilliant showing every single game. JaVale is averaging 2.6 blocks per game while Embiid is averaging 1.8 blocks. Honorable mention is Paul George.
Rookie of the Year
The ROY award is one of the most interesting awards this season as some of the top rookies are performing really well and some of them is almost leading their team in their rookie season. That alone is a big-time achievement for some rookies. In my personal view, I think that the ROY award is just circling around Luka Doncic, Trae Young and DeAndre Ayton.
Doncic is the best player in Dallas and he is leading them in points per game. He's showing how good the Euroleague MVP is and he's been a reliable option come clutch time. Trae Young is also playing pretty well for the Atlanta Hawks and I think he is also the best player so far in their roster. He's still adjusting in the NBA from his excellent college season but he would surely reach his full potential and become a superstar.
DeAndre Ayton somehow intrigues me, I don't see him being so dominant like Joel Embiid is, but he has a lot of potential. I think he needs to improve his defense and his energy. He should be more aggressive and he should attack the paint more. All in all, I think that Doncic will take home the award.
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