MIAMI — As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named finalists for NBA MVP. Here’s what you need to know:
- The league announced the finalists for all regular-season awards (voted on by the media) on Friday before the Eastern Conference play-in finals between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. The winners will be announced in the coming weeks.
- Jokić has won MVP for the past two years and would become the only player in league history to win the NBA’s most prestigious honor in three straight seasons, alongside Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird.
- Antetokounmpo was MVP 2018-19 and again in 2019-20. Embiid has not won one yet.
Finalists in the remaining award races
Who comes out on top in the MVP race?
When TNT’s Charles Barkley read the names off his card, he said it was “the closest match ever”. I wonder if he realized he was part of the closest — the 1990 MVP race — and lost to Magic Johnson despite having more first-place votes than Magic.
It could actually depend on which of these three superstars performs well in the second ballot. Embiid led the NBA with 33.1 points per game. Jokić was an analytical model of dominance for the West’s best team (and the Nuggets were remarkably worse without him on the pitch). Giannis averaged 31.1 points and nearly 12 rebounds for the best overall team. – Wardon
Who could win the highest coaching award?
This one probably won’t be around. Brown broke the franchise’s 16-year playoff drought in his first season with the Kings. Sacramento went from 12th in the West (30-52) last year to third this season (48-34), defeating NBA kings like the Warriors, Lakers and even the Suns (who now have Kevin Durant).
The Thunder under Daigneault certainly surpassed, but the bar was low. They are seeded No. 10 in the Play-In Finals. – Wardon
A close race for DPOY
Jackson Jr. led the NBA with three blocks per game but only appeared in 63 contests. Lopez is third in the league in blocks and is off the charts analytically (things like competitive) and has also played in 78 games. Mobley, who is in his second pro season, was the anchor of the top-rated defense in the NBA and is the most versatile of the three finalists, making more perimeter changes than Jackson or Lopez — resulting in fewer recorded blocks.
Picking the best defender is always difficult, perhaps even more so in a season where goals have been at record levels. – Wardon
A clear choice for ROTY
Banchero will win. The 2022 draft pick averaged 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 72 games for the Magic. His game is well rounded for a 20 year old. He averaged nearly a steal and a block per game – otherwise living up to his high draft status.
Kessler and Williams both grew strong over the course of the season. For those who don’t know, the Thunder have TWO rookies named Williams with the same first name. One is Jalen (the ROTY contestant) and the other is Jaylin. – Wardon
Frontrunner for the most improved
Markkanen has never had anything close to the season he put up in 2022-23. His score was up 11 points per game (to 25.6), his rebounds were up an average of three per game over last year (to 8.6), his assists were a career high (1.9 per) and his shot rate was a career high of .499 was also the best of his six seasons.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring average rose to 31.4 from 24.5 per game last season — the fourth-best in the NBA. He also shot 51 percent from the field during the regular season, a career best. Both players made All-Star teams for the first time, but comparing the two, Gilgeous-Alexander was on the verge of stardom prior to this year and Markannan was not. – Wardon
Favorites for Clutch Player of the Year
This is a new award and the coaches nominated the players for us (the media) to vote for.
Fox led the NBA in clutch scoring (points in the last five minutes of games where the lead is within five points). DeRozan was second in that category, and Butler anchored the team that won 32 “clutch” games (same criteria) — the most in the NBA. – Wardon
required reading
(Photo: Bill Streicher / USA Today)