MVP
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
Jokic is easily the MVP favorite and should win his third award this season. The man is averaging 29 points; he is also first in the league in rebounding and averages 10 assists a game. He’s incredible.
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
The reigning MVP still has the 76ers rolling and is averaging a ridiculous 33-plus points- first in NBA -, 11-plus points and six-plus assists a game. He is also an elite defender, and the 76ers currently are one of the East’s strongest teams.
Luka Doncic, SG, Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks superstar is second in the league in scoring and probably the No. 1 non-Jokic offensive player in in the NBA. He is also averaging more than eight assists and eight rebounds a game, and Dallas seems to be for real.
Anthony Edwards, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards has become a superstar and might be the the NBA’s No. 1 shooting guard. One of the league’s purest athletes, Edwards helped the Timberwolves get off to fast start. His scoring efficiency is excellent, and his playmaking ability is strong.
Jayson Tatum, SF, Boston Celtics
There’s a half dozen guys who have a real argument to be here, but Tatum is the No. 1 player on the East’s No. 1 team. The excellent two-way Celtics forward is averaging 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game.
Sixth Man
Chris Paul, G, Golden State Warriors
In his first season as a sixth man, Paul has a very strong chance to win this. He isn’t scoring much, but is his elite playmaking self. The Warriors’ bench is excellent, and Paul is a big reason why.
Alex Caruso, SF, Chicago Bulls
Caruso may not have the stats, but he’s a very capable shooter and scorer. He is also considered by many to be in the discussion for the NBA’s No. 1 perimeter defender and has probably been the Bulls’ biggest contributor thanks to said defense and elite hustle.
Bobby Portis, PF, Milwaukee Bucks
Portis would start for half the league, but he and the Bucks have been an excellent fit and actually had my vote a season ago. His numbers and minutes are fewer this season, but there is very little doubting he’s the No. 1 reserve big.
Immanuel Quickley, PG, New York Knicks
Quickley is the NBA’s biggest bench scoring threat at guard, and he is a serious candidate for the award. However, it’s hard to see a non-18-plus scorer at guard winning the award.
Austin Reaves, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
The former starter was moved to the bench to increase his production as playmaking ball handling and shots are spoken for in the Lakers’ starting five. Reaves has a chance at a 15-5-5 season, which is excellent for a reserve.
Rookie of the Year
Victor Wembanyama, C, San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama is already one of the 20 or so biggest stars in the NBA and should be an all-star. The first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is also already one of the league’s elite defenders, and he hasn’t touched his actual potential; he is just 19, which is incredible.
Chet Holmgren, C, Oklahoma City Thunder
Holmgren was the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but missed the season due to injury, but he’s already proven that he has franchise big talent. He is already one of the league’s elite shot-blockers, an excellent rebounder, a scorer with a strong jumpshot. He’s shown annual all-star talent.
Dereck Lively, C, Dallas Mavericks
The 12th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has shown the makings of being a franchise center for the Mavericks. He has shown double-double potential while being a strong rim protector. Lively is a key player on a very talented and winning squad as well.
Ausar Thompson, SF, Detroit Pistons
Thompson is a wrecking ball. He isn’t and won’t be a 20-point scorer, but his athleticism and effort are special. He has shown excellent shot-blocking and rebounding while providing solid scoring. The fifth pick of the 2023 NBA Draft is a unique talent.
Brandon Miller, F, Charlotte Hornets
The second pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Miller was billed as an elite scorer and very likely will average 25 points per game in a few seasons. Getting a relatively large role, although on a weak team, there is a legitimate chance he will average 15 points a game, which is a lot for a rookie.
Rudy Gobert, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards becoming a superstar is excellent, but Minnesota’s defense is why the team is in first place, and Gobert is the key of that defense. The three-time winner of this award is once again showing just how incredible he is.
Alex Caruso, SF, Chicago Bulls
Caruso is an athletic freak with an incredible motor who can capably guard four positions. He has legitimately started at power forward several times for the Bulls – he’s 6-foot-5. Caruso is a defensive superstar, but smaller guys rarely win.
Victor Wembanyama, C, San Antonio Spurs
Have you seen Wembanyama play a game of basketball? The man is a so big and athletic that he is a monster defensively. It’s rare for a young star to be just as strong on offense and defense.
Ausar Thompson, SF, Detroit Pistons
The second rookie here, Thompson is a lot like a smaller version of Wembanyama. An athletic monster who is simply a game wrecker defensively, Thompson’s defense is just as advanced as reported. He has superstar talent.
Jaren Jackson Jr., PF, Memphis Grizzlies
The reigning winner, Jackson is still one of the elite defensive players in the NBA, although the Grizzlies are pathetic. He will be in the running for this award for quite a long time.
Most Improved Player
Tyrese Maxey, SG, Philadelphia 76ers
Maxey has taken over as the second star for the 76ers and might just be a superstar now. He is first in the NBA in minutes, and his points have jumped 6.3 and assists 3.5, proving he can be a point guard and not just a small two.
Scottie Barnes, SF, Toronto Raptors
Barnes has taken the jump in his third season that people thought he would have been last season. He’s taken over as the star of the Raptors, and his numbers have jumped by four points, 2.5 rebounds and an assist.
Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers
Haliburton just missed the MVP rankings, but he could easily win this award. The all-star point guard has become a superstar and made Indiana one of the league’s elite offenses. He is first in the NBA in assists, and his scoring has jumped by six.
Cam Thomas, SG, Philadelphia 76ers
Thomas has only played 11 games, but his scoring has more than doubled, and he has become more than just a bench scorer; he’s the No. 2 scoring option for a really solid team. If Thomas gets put in the second unit, he may become the favorite for sixth man.
Anthony Edwards, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves
Despite making the jump from all-star alternate to a legitimate superstar, Edwards’s numbers aren’t too much improved. He has proven he can be the franchise player on an elite team.
Coach of the Year
Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves
Nobody had Minnesota as one of the West’s biggest players this season, but the defensive coaching, development of Anthony Edwards and making an odd roster work, causing Finch to be a serious threat to win.
Rick Carlisle, Indiana Pacers
Like with Minnesota, Indiana is far superior than assumed and have a young superstar -Tyrese Haliburton – blossoming and running their franchise. The veteran Carlisle has made the Pacers’ offense a legitimate powerhouse, and although there are a couple of small issues, the Pacers are excellent and fun.
Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers
Nurse won a title with the Raptors, but his job so far in Philadelphia has been incredible. He has Tyrese Maxey looking like an All-NBA guard, and the 76ers look superior to when they had James Harden – and with no less production from Joel Embiid. Philadelphia looks like an actual contender in the East.
Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
The key to the Mavericks’ season was getting Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to thrive together, and Kidd has, as well as getting a big season from Dereck Lively, who was thought to need some development. Kidd was not really given a Western playoff roster, but the Mavericks should make it.
Adrien Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks
Griffin has had an excellent first season so far for Milwaukee, as he has the team winning with many different faces. He has the Bucks going from a defensive juggernaut to an offensive one, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is losing no production for them.
