The NBA Awards are decided by the media and as someone who watches a disgusting amount of basketball, it makes me wonder how some of these guys (Stephen A) are qualified to vote on these awards. I obviously do not have a vote for the NBA awards but if I did here is what my ballot would look like, not my predictions on who is going to win:
MVP: Luka Doncic
Luka has led the Dallas Mavericks to 50 wins averaging 34 9 and 10. I am not sure why we are pretending that these aren’t insane numbers to put up on a nightly basis. Yes, the Mavs are the 5 seed but the West is stacked. When Jokic won his first MVP, the Nuggets finished 6th in the West. The Mavs core of the roster stayed the same from their team last year where they missed the play-in all together and Luka has risen his play to another level.
I would have Jalen Brunson as the runner up for MVP followed by SGA. I don’t need to speak for what Brunson is doing. No one in the entire NBA has done more with less than JB. I can speak about Brunson all day but he has emerged as the best point guard in the Eastern conference. Jokic has had a great year and the Nuggets are still dominant but in terms of the past couple of years, this is not a historic Jokic year. Every other NBA star has dealt with MVP voter fatigue whether it’s Kobe, Lebron, Steph, Giannis, so I am not sure why this doesn’t exist with Jokic.
(2. Brunson, 3. Jokic, 4. SGA, 5. Giannis)
Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama
This goes without saying. Wemby has had one of the best rookie seasons of all time and has lived up to the hype and has even exceeded expectations. Chet had a great year but was never close to reaching this award.
(2. Chet, 3. Brandon Miller)
Sixth Man of the Year: Malik Monk
Malik Monk was the best 6th man the entire year. Unfortunately, Monk ended the year hurt and the voters do not remember how good Monk was in the beginning of the year. There were several games where Monk took over down the stretch and won games for the Kings. Sacramento has looked way worse without Monk down the stretch of this season. Naz Reid has been unbelievable this year and is one of my favorite players to watch. However, majority of his scoring has come when he started when KAT went down with an injury. Big Jelly deserves to be recognized for his performance this season but Monk is a true 6th man and should win this award.
(2. Naz Reid, 3. Bobby Portis)
Coach of the Year: Mark Daigneault
OKC has went from a rebuilding team with a budding superstar and a young core to one of the best teams in the entire NBA. Earning the number 1 seed in the West, the Thunder were the surprise team in the NBA this season. SGA, Jalen Williams and Chet were all great and credit can be given to Daigneault. The sets and ATOs Daigneault uses are the best in the NBA and he deserves to be COTY.
(2. Thibs, 3. Mazulla, 4. Finch)
Most Improved: Coby White
This award is not what it used to be and will be handed for the budding superstar that gets an opportunity to fully break out into an All-Star. This award should be to who actually improved their game the most from the past year. Coby went from a microwave bench scorer into a legitimate starting NBA point guard increasing his PPG average by 10 points and doubled his assists number. There’s a case to be made for a lot of guys such as Jalen Johnson, Jalen Williams, Nah Reid, Donte Divencenzo and even Jalen Brunson but this award has become who has become an all-star. This is Tyrese Maxey’s award for this year (predicted before the season which is cool).
Defensive Player of the Year: Herb Jones
This award is going to Rudy Gobert this year and will be Wemby’s to lost for the next decade. I understand Gobert’s effect on defense but he is not a feared man. Wemby realistically should win but I understand the politics of not giving the defensive player of the year award to a guy whose team won 15 games this year. Leading the league in blocks as a rookie is insane but as I have mentioned in years prior, it is a guard’s league. Herb is the best perimeter defender in the NBA right and can guard 1-5 if needed.
(2. Gobert, 3. Wemby)
Clutch Player of the Year: Steph Curry
Steph has led the NBA in pretty much every single clutch category this season with no help. He led the league in points in the clutch and had the biggest differential vs his teammates of any other player this year. Here is a tweet for further reference: https://x.com/WardeIICurry30/status/1780379560854339836
1st Team All-NBA: How can Brunson be voted top 5 MVP but not first All-NBA?? He is not going to be first team all NBA, Tatum will be but Brunson has had a better year. Here’s my team
Luka, Brunson, Jokic, SGA, Giannis
2nd Team All-NBA:
Tatum, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard
3rd Team All-NBA:
Steph Curry, LeBron James, Sabonis, Booker, Paolo
1st Team All-Rookie:
Wemby, Chet, Brandon Miller, Podz, Jaime Jaquez
2nd Team All-Rookie:
Amen Thompson, Keyonte George, Derrick Lively, Ausar Thompson, GG Jackson
Absolutely loaded class there is a case for 15+ guys for these two teams.
1st Team All-Defense:
Herb, Wemby, Gobert, AD, Derrick White
2nd Team All-Defense:
IHart, Bam, Caruso, Chet, Suggs
I hope you guys enjoyed, a very memorable NBA regular season.
JakesTakes 
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