The NBA regular season is in the books. The playoff brackets have been established and the race is on to crown the next champion. But there is some unfinished business from the regular season: naming the winners for regular season awards. Here are the finalists:
Clutch Player of the Year (CPOY)
Jalen Brunson (NYK), Anthony Edwards (MIN) and Nikola Jokic (DEN).
The NBA defines “clutch time” as the final five minutes of a game (or overtime) with the score within five points.
Edwards played in 42 such games, according to NBA.com. The offensive rating was 108 with a 38.8% usage rate. The true shooting percentage was 58% and Minnesota was 19-23 over that span.
Brunson was in 28 games with a clutch situation. He led the Knicks to a 17-11 record. The offensive rating was 114 with a 42.4% usage rate and 63.4% true shooting percentage.
Jokic was in 33 games with a clutch situation, leading the Nuggets to a 19-14 record. The offensive rating was 129.7 with a 37.1% usage rate and 63.8% true shooting percentage.
Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)
Dyson Daniels (ATL), Draymond Green (GSW) and Evan Mobley (CLE).
From a strictly individual defensive rating perspective, Daniels was at 114.2, Green was 108.8 and Mobley was 108.6. Lower is better.
From a team perspective, Atlanta was 18th in defensive rating in the regular season, Golden State was seventh while Cleveland was eighth.
Daniels is in the conversation because of the ridiculous 3.0 steals per game and 229 total. Since 1946, only 17 players, including Daniels, have averaged at least 3.0 steals during the regular season. Only 30 players have racked up at least 220 in a season.
Green averaged 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks during the regular season. His impact cannot be fully appreciated by the numbers only, though. He is the quarterback of the Warriors defense, barking out orders for his teammates, but it’s his IQ to, not only diagnose opposing plays, but to freelance when needed to neutralize offensive attacks.
Mobley averaged 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks during the regular season. No doubt he’s a good defender due to his length and athleticism, but I think he’s on here due to his increased visibility from playing for the best team in the Eastern Conference and garnering more offensive responsibility. Mobley benefits from playing alongside Jarrett Allen and teams were going right at him towards the end of the regular season.
Most Improved Player (MIP)
Cade Cunningham (DET), Dyson Daniels (ATL) and Ivica Zubac (LAC).
In his fourth season, Cunningham went from averaging 22.7 points and 7.5 rebounds to 26.1 points and 9.1 assists per game. The efficiency improved from 44% from the field to 46%. The front office surrounded Cunningham with shooters, allowing more room for Cunningham to operate, and he was the driving force behind the Pistons going from cellar dwellers to sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. While the improvement was stellar, Cunningham was the number one overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, so this level of production was expected.
The main thing for Daniels was opportunity. After averaging 17.7 minutes during his rookie season, Daniels received 22.3 last season. The trade to Atlanta opened up the runway and Daniels averaged 33.8 minutes per contest. It wasn’t all a volume thing, though, as the shooting efficiency skyrocketed from 44% to 49% from the field while the three-point prowess improved from 31% to 34%. We discussed the steals earlier, but the secondary playmaking resulted in a healthy 4.4 dimes per game.
For his career, Zubac was given the Jonas Valanciunas treatment, in that he would rarely play 30 minutes. In the prior eight seasons, Zubac never averaged more than 28 minutes per game. The depth chart cleared up entering this season and Zubac thrived, averaging 32.8 minutes, 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 blocks. He shot 62% from the field and the 59 double-doubles were tied for second in the NBA. Zubac was instrumental in the Clippers finishing as the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) and Nikola Jokic (DEN).
Antetokounmpo led the league in field goal attempts (11.8), two-point makes/attempts (11.6/18.7) and free throw attempts (10.6). Oh, he also averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 60% from the field. The obvious bug-a-boo is the 61% free throw shooting, but Antetokounmpo literally does it all and led the Bucks to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with Damian Lillard playing only 58 games.
Jokic could and probably should win this award every season. He’s that good. He averaged a triple-double this season, becoming only the third player to accomplish the feat. Jokic led the Nuggets to the fourth seed despite injuries and offseason player movement. He won the award back in 2021, 2022 and 2024, so there’s likely voter fatigue.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the engine of the best team in the NBA. SGA led the league in field goal attempts (21.8), free throw makes (7.9) and points scored (32.7). There have only been 23 players in NBA history to average at least 32 points per game. SGA finished fifth in the voting for MVP two seasons ago and second last season.
Rookie of the Year (ROY)
Stephon Castle (SAS), Zaccharie Risacher (ATL) and Jaylen Wells (MEM).
Castle was in the rotation from Day One, but the season was filled with ups-and-downs. He was playing in the teens then cracked the starting lineup in the eighth game. He had some great games, but then cooled off and bounced between reserve and starting roles. Once Victor Wembanayama was lost for the season, Castle truly thrived. In the final 26 games of the season, Castle averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 45% from the field. The three-point shooting was bad all season, but Castle was a terror in transition and his paint-finishing package was elite – Euro-stepping, decelerating and using his upper body strength to fend off defenders.
The number one overall pick, Risacher, was in the rotation from the get go, playing 19 minutes in each of the first two games. After that, he was a fixture in the starting rotation, outside of missing seven games in January due to injury. Risacher flashed at times, stroking from downtown, cutting in the half court and finishing in transition. In the final 10 games, he had two games with 36 and 38 points. On the season, Risacher shot 35% from downtown, but over the last two months, that number was a tick under 40%. Outside of scoring, though, Risacher didn’t contribute much in the periphery categories.
Like Risacher, Wells didn’t provide much outside of points and treys, but the second round pick started 74 of 79 games for the Grizzlies. That probably would’ve been 77 of 82 games if not for the brutal injury he suffered in Game 80. Wells shot 35% from downtown and averaged 10.4 points. He had one 30-point game, but he definitely hit a rookie wall around the All-Star break.
Sixth Man of the Year (6MOY)
Malik Beasley (DET), Ty Jerome (CLE) and Payton Pritchard (BOS).
Beasley was brought to Detroit to provide shooting so that Cade Cunningham would have more room to operate. Mission accomplished. Beasley shot 41% from downtown on 9.3 attempts per game. He played in all 82 games and was one of the reasons why Cunningham leveled up.
Jerome didn’t start many games, but he was a super sub for the Cavaliers. He scored at least 20 points 13 times with a high of 33, despite averaging only 19.9 minutes per contest. Jerome converted 43% of his 3.6 shots per game from beyond the arc. Kenny Atkinson wanted the Cavaliers to play faster in shorter bursts. Having Jerome allowed him to not put excess strain on Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Pritchard played in 80 games and averaged a career-high 14.3 points per game while shooting 40% from downtown on a healthy 7.8 attempts per game. He also dished out a healthy 3.5 dimes per game. Pritchard put up at least 20 points 24 times, with a high of 43.
Coach of the Year (COY)
Kenny Atkinson (CLE), J.B. Bickerstaff (DET) and Ime Udoka (HOU).
Cleveland finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record in 2024. Atkinson came in and turned the Cavaliers into a 64-18 juggernaut, finishing three games on top of the defending champion Boston Celtics. Cleveland went from 24th in pace to 10th. They were 16th in offensive rating last season. Atkinson turned them into the top-rated offensive unit.
Ironically, it was Atkinson who replaced Bickerstaff in Cleveland, but Bickerstaff did a marvelous job in Detroit, improving the record from 14-68 to 44-38 in one season, and guiding them into the playoffs.
Udoka inherited a 22-60 team two seasons ago. He guided them to a .500 record last season, then vaulted them into contender status this season. Houston finished the regular season with a 52-30 record, good for second in the tough Western Conference. Houston was fifth in defensive rating and 12th in offensive rating, good for the seventh-best net rating in the NBA.
