With the NBA regular season ending Sunday, The Post’s NBA writers pick their award winners. Here we go:
MVP
Stefan Bondy: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets. Toss-up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Jokic doesn’t have nearly as much help and is ***** averaging ***** a 30-point triple-double.
Brian Lewis: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder. The Oklahoma City guard unseats Jokic, who has won three of the past four awards, by leading the league in scoring and the Thunder to the top of the standings.
Mike Vaccaro: Jokic. It’s so razor thin between in and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but I keep asking myself: Whose team would implode without them? To me, that clinched it for Jokic.
Defensive Player of the Year
Bondy: Amen Thompson, Rockets. Just a pest and the No. 1 reason the Rockets have transformed into a top-five defensive team.
Lewis: Evan Mobley, Cavaliers. Draymond Green was huge for Golden State and is openly campaigning, but Mobley’s 1.6 blocks, 0.9 steals and yearlong consistency for Cleveland is too impressive to ignore.
Vaccaro: Mobley. In another too-close-to-call with Green, this one goes to the player on the better team (since it can’t go to Victor Wembanyama).
Coach of the Year
Bondy: Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers. An easy vote. Anybody thinking about giving the nod to J.B. Bickerstaff should consider this: Atkinson took over the same roster Bickerstaff had last season and made it demonstrably better.
Lewis: Atkinson. The Long Islander got fired by Brooklyn, wisely avoided the Charlotte dumpster fire and now in his first year in Cleveland has guided the Cavs to the best record in the East.
Vaccaro: Atkinson. And this one would be a runaway pick except, ironically, for the man Atkinson replaced, J.B. Bickerstaff, who’s done an astonishing job reviving Detroit.
Rookie of the Year
Bondy: Stephon Castle, Spurs. Tops the underwhelming 2025 rookie class, but his spotty 3-point shooting has to improve to make it to the next level.
Lewis: Castle. His work after Wembanyama’s blood clot puts him clearly atop a poor rookie class that includes Zaccharie Risacher and Zach Edey.
Vaccaro: Castle. He’ll succeed his teammate, Wembanyama, and the two of them will start to give the rest of the league fits beginning next year.
Sixth Man of the Year
Bondy: Malik Beasley, Pistons. Became big part of Detroit’s resurrection this season with his elite 3-point shooting.
Lewis: Payton Pritchard, Celtics. There were plenty of candidates from Beasley to Russell Westbrook, but Pritchard’s career-high 13.9 points on 40.6 percent from deep wins out.
Vaccaro: Beasley. This is a losing vote because it seems a given that Pritchard is going to get it, but Beasley has been as vital as anyone in rejuvenating Motown.
Most Improved Player
Bondy: Dyson Daniels, Hawks. The silliest of NBA postseason awards goes to Atlanta’s top perimeter defender, who has the task of covering up Trae Young’s deficiencies in that area.
Lewis: Daniels. Going into Friday, he’d nearly tripled his scoring to 14.3 points, and was averaging 5.8 boards, 4.3 assists and a league-best three steals.
Vaccaro: Cade Cunningham, Pistons. Cunningham has taken a step up in levels as a player, and as a result the Pistons have jumped up multiple levels — from wreckage right over respectable right over play-in team to playoff participant. And maybe more.
