Will Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic win his third NBA MVP award in four seasons? Or will the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander or the Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic?
Either way, this will be the sixth consecutive season that a player born outside the United States will win the MVP award.
On Sunday, the NBA announced the finalists for the individual awards, which will be announced later this year.
San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembaneyama is not only a likely finalist for Rookie of the Year, but also an unlikely finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. There is. Still, it's a good evaluation for a 20-year-old player.
Let's take a look at the finalists for the NBA awards.
Clutch Player of the Year
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors): Averaged 4.4 points, shot 49.6 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from 3-point range, and 95.1 percent from clutch free throws. The Warriors were 23-20 in clutch games against Curry.
DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls): Averaged 4.8 points, shot 48.7 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from 3-point range, and 87.8 percent from clutch free throws. The Bulls were 24-16 in clutch games against DeRozan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Averaged 3.2 points, shot 58.1 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from 3-point range, and 89.7 percent from clutch free throws. The Thunder were 23-11 in such games with Gilgeous-Alexander.
most improved player
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers): Averaged career-highs 25.9 points and 6.2 assists, shooting 45 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3-point range.
Alperen Sengan, Houston Rockets: Career-high averages in points per game (21.1), rebounds per game (9.3) and assists per game (5.0).
Coby White, Chicago Bulls: Averaged career highs in points per game (19.1), assists per game (5.1), and rebounds per game (4.5).
Sixth Man of the Year
Malik Monk (Sacramento Kings): Averaged 15.4 points, 5.1 assists, and shot 35% from 3-point range.
Bobby Portis Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks): Averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds, shooting 50.8% from the field and 40.7% from 3S.
Naz Reid (Minnesota Timberwolves): Averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds, shooting 47.7% from the field and 41.4% from 3S.
Coach of the Year
Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder): Led the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record, an improvement of 17 wins from last season. One of the two teams in the top four in both offense and defense.
Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves: Helped the Timberwolves go from 42-40 to a 56-26 finish in the 2022-23 season.
Jamal Mosley (Orlando Magic): Improved the Magic from 34-48 last season to 47-35 this season.
Rookie of the Year
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder: Averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.3 blocks, shooting 53.3% from the field and 37% from 3S.
Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets): Averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, shooting 44% from the field and 37.3% from 3S.
Victor Wembaneyama (San Antonio Spurs): Averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks, 1.2 steals, shooting 46.5% from the field and 32.5% from 3S.
Defensive Player of the Year
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat: A versatile defender who plays the fifth-ranked defense in the league, averaging about one steal and block per game.
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves: Blocked 2.1 shots per game and anchored the league's top-ranked defense.
Victor Wembaneyama, San Antonio Spurs: Blocking a league-high 3.6 shots per game and averaging 1.2 steals per game, Wembaneyama was a top-five defensive force on the court for the Spurs.
MVP
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: Averaged a career-high 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game, and also shot a career-best 38.2 percent from 3-point range.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and shot 53.5% from the field.
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets): Averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and shot 58.3% from the field.
