This is the last Awards Watch of the season. Please, please. Hold your applause. I appreciate it, and I pretend it’s because you are appreciative of this space rather than happy it’s over until next season. I’ve had a lot of fun organizing my awards ideas and train of thought (debatable) in this space over the last couple of months, and it’s helped tremendously for me to figure out how my ballot might end up. But I am still undecided on quite a few things, and I’m dreading making those decisions by the deadline early next week.
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I’m going to attempt to organize my thoughts one more time for all of the individual awards (except Clutch Player of the Year because I’m not sure who they will pick as the finalists, but I assume Jalen Brunson will win it). We’re also going to dip our toes into the All-Defensive and All-Rookie Teams. You may remember that we broached the All-NBA topic last week. For the individual awards, I’ll just throw out what I think should happen, what I think will happen, and my confidence (one-to-five emojis with five being the most confident) in predicting what will happen. Enjoy! Gleefully hate it! Thanks for reading!
All-NBA Teams
All-NBA First Team
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Spoiler alert: I’m pretty sure he’s going to win MVP.
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers: Sacrificed his numbers to make the team better, and the Cavs are the East’s No. 1 seed.
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: He’s easily been the fourth-best player in the NBA this season.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: This team has no chance of scoring without him on the floor.
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets: He’s averaging a 30-point triple-double with a 66 percent true shooting. Ridiculous.
As I’ve stated before, in a position-less awards ballot era for All-NBA honors, your MVP ballot should transfer directly into becoming your All-NBA First Team. This is my MVP ballot, although at times it’s been well worth considering whether Steph Curry or LeBron James should crack the top five over Mitchell. Ultimately, Mitchell endured, and his season deserves to be recognized as a First Team and MVP final ballot selection.
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The story of the greatest players in NBA history.
All-NBA Second Team
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: Last time his scoring was this low was the 2014-15 season (not counting his five-game 2019-20 campaign).
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: Excels at both ends of the floor, and he turned into a deadly outside shooter.
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: Even if you eliminate the age factor, his play has been absurd, and his defense is back.
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers: I don’t think the Cavs would be nearly this good without the leap he took.
- Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets: I feel like people are way too low on the season he’s had for the second-best team in the West.
I think you might see guys like Jaren Jackson Jr. or Jalen Brunson find their way into the mix for the Second Team. I could see Karl-Anthony Towns getting the nod or maybe Tyrese Haliburton sneaking into the mix here. I think Curry, Edwards and LeBron are the locks. Mobley should be a lock. Şengün might get squeezed out because I don’t feel like enough people are talking about the season he’s had.
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks: Looks like he’s going to make the 65-game mark, and his play is more than deserving.
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons: Maybe he should be a little on the border, but he and his coach have turned this Detroit team around.
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers: He got off to a slow start, but he’s been about as good as any point guard can reasonably be in 2025.
- Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies: He’s an All-Defensive First Team guy, his offense has been good and he kept Memphis afloat.
- Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks: Towns is probably the main reason this team didn’t fall apart when Brunson missed a month.
I changed my mind from last week and made Jalen Williams a massive snub here, rather than JJJ in Memphis. This will be one of the tougher decisions to make with the awards. The Thunder have been historically dominant, and I believe team success should factor in when a player’s season has been good enough for consideration here. Williams will end up playing fewer games than Jackson, and his defense isn’t as good (although it’s great). Jackson also had to carry more than Williams did because of missing players.
All-Defensive Teams
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
- Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies
- Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
- Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mobley and Green are locks here. They will be the two vying for Defensive Player of the Year. JJJ should probably be considered a lock here or close to it. My biggest struggle was figuring out the last two spots. Forever, I’ve been assuming Daniels would be here because of the impressive steals numbers. And people love to toss deflections around as a stat, but I’ve never been big on it. We just don’t know if the deflections lead to empty offensive possessions or not. The more I dig into the defense and discussions with people around the league, Amen Thompson creeps into First Team conversations, as he should. He’s been a monster on defense. I think you can argue he’s been as good as Daniels, despite not having the counting stats for it. I think Dort should make First Team because of how great he is at defense and leading the league’s best defense. But I’m currently undecided on whether Thompson will get the nod over Daniels.
- Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
- Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
- OG Anunoby, New York Knicks
- Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
If Thompson doesn’t make the First Team, obviously he’s on the Second Team. Zubac has to be here too, and maybe a late-season drop from Jackson could’ve landed Zu on the First Team, as well. He’s been the anchor of an elite defense all season long. Anunoby has been so good trying to scramble around and fix all of the cracks in the Knicks’ defense, often to no avail. But I don’t blame him for their failures on that end. Then we get to three main candidates for the final two spots here. Williams, Camara and Adebayo.
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I believe Camara has to make the Second Team. I don’t know how many people watched a lot of Blazers games, but he took the toughest matchup every game and made their night hell. He’s one of the most under-appreciated and under-talked-about defensive players in the league. Adebayo continues to be one of the best defensive big men we’ve seen in the last couple decades, which is saying something. The Heat have stayed together defensively because of him. But also, Williams gets snubbed again? The knock against him is he’s not getting the top assignment every night because the Thunder have Dort (and Alex Caruso in some matchups). Williams has to play bigger than his size and position, so he gets plenty of points for that. I’m not sure I can keep him off either All-NBA or All-Defense when it’s time to actually submit the ballot.
All-Rookie Teams
- Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
- Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
- Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
- Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
- Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Castle, Wells, Risacher and Sarr feel like no-brainers here. Castle and Wells for sure. I think Risacher and Sarr have been a cut above the next tier of rookies, as well. That leaves the final spot between Edey, Kel’el Ware and Yves Missi. All of their stats are basically the same. Ware came on later in the season and wasn’t quite as consistent as Missi and Edey. Consistency does matter a little bit here when things are this tight. Ultimately, Edey gets the nod for doing it in more meaningful games and minutes over the other two, but I’m undecided on this final spot.
- Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
- Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
- Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
- Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
- Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz
With Ware and Missi not getting First Team in this situation, they’re easily locked into the Second Team. There’s a bit of a difficult selection for the final three spots. I’m excluding Quinten Post from the Warriors because he’s played only 40 games. Give him 60-ish games, and he makes the cut. He’s been good. Buzelis came on strongly enough in the second half of the season that I think he gets in. Clingan has been very solid in his role and found his groove in the second half of the season. The decision between Collier and Bub Carrington becomes tough, and I’m not sure I can actually snub the latter. Collier’s assist numbers are good. You could definitely argue Carrington’s overall play has been better. I will probably lean toward him, but it’s tight. Jared McCain not getting hurt would’ve helped all of this.
As for the rest, no need for any preamble for the other awards talk. I’ve talked a lot about each case for each award week by week. You can check out my thoughts in those posts. Or if you don’t care and just want to be mad, I’m good with that too!
Most Valuable Player
Five honorable mentions: Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors | Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers | Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves | LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers | Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets
5. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week: 5)
4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (Last week: 4)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Last week: 3)
2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (Last week: 2)
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (Last week: 1)
How I think it should go: Gilgeous-Alexander. Extremely close race with two historic seasons, but ultimately the team success is too overwhelming.
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How I think it will go: SGA. I don’t think it’ll be a lopsided vote, but I believe SGA will win.
Confidence Meter: 🔒🔒🔒🔒
Will Evan Mobley, left, win Defensive Player of the Year? (David Richard / Imagn Images)
Defensive Player of the Year
Three honorable mentions: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks | Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder | Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
3. Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies (Last week: honorable mention)
2. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (Last week: 2)
1. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week: 1)
How I think it should go: Mobley. The Cavs big man has the most complete season of all the candidates, he’s been great guarding one through five, and he’s no longer dependent on having Jarrett Allen next to him.
How I think it will go: Green. Feels like the media campaign plus the Warriors’ surge at the right time could swoop in for the award.
Confidence Meter: 🔒🔒
Rookie of the Year
Two honorable mentions: Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards | Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
3. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks (Last week: 2)
2. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies (Last week: 3)
1. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (Last week: 1)
How I think it should go: Castle. He did enough in the second half of the season as Wells’ production dipped. It’s just enough to win a weak race.
How I think it will go: Castle. Feels like a lock. Might be a lopsided vote.
Confidence Meter: 🔒🔒🔒🔒
Sixth Man of the Year
Two honorable mentions: Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves | De’Andre Hunter, Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week: 3)
2. Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons (Last week: 2)
1. Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics (Last week: 1)
How I think it should go: Pritchard. Boston is so good, it may have gone a little overlooked how much they needed Pritchard with Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown missing time.
How I think it will go: Pritchard. Beasley has a great case in literally every other season, but the Celtics guard has it.
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Confidence Meter: 🔒🔒🔒🔒🔒
Coach of the Year
Two honorable mentions: Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder | Ty Lue, LA Clippers
3. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets (Last week: 3)
2. J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons (Last week: 1)
1. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week: 2)
How I think it should go: Atkinson. I really struggle between him and Bickerstaff. Ultimately, making a team that seemed broken look like a historic contender is the deciding factor.
How I think it will go: Atkinson. I’m not sure how many people are considering Bickerstaff as a real threat here.
Confidence Meter: 🔒🔒🔒🔒🔒
Most Improved Player
Two honorable mentions: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks | Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
3. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week: 3)
2. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (Last week: 2)
1. Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers (Last week: 1)
How I think it should go: Zubac. I’ve talked to a lot of people about the Zubac idea, and I’ve come around on it. You could argue he’s been the best player on the Clippers in terms of consistency and production for the long haul of the season.
How I think it will go: Cunningham. He’s deserving. I don’t love the idea of people saying you can’t win it when you’re a top pick or max player. Improvement is improvement.
Confidence Meter: 🔒🔒🔒
(Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: William Purnell / Getty Images)
