NBA Awards Finalists Projections

 Well, I've given you my guesses on how each team will fare this season, and I've given you who I think are the top ten players in the league. Now I'm going to give you who I think will win all of the major individual awards for the upcoming 25-26 campaign and compare them to ESPN's choices.

Most Improved Player: Amen Thompson (ESPN's choice: Amen Thompson and Matas Buzelis tied)

The dynamic athleticism and defensive tenacity of Amen gained him a lot of fans during the Rockets impressive 24-25 campaign which saw them win the second seed in a very competitive Western Conference. With the loss of Fred Van Vleet to a season ending injury, expect Amen to be given more responsibility ball handling and scoring. Those extra touches, in addition to the space that will be created by the presence of new teammate Kevin Durant, project a higher potential for impact on the game and therefore should result in him making a dramatic leap.

Dark horse for MIP: Alperen Sengun

Amen's teammate Alperen should also see an uptick in playmaking without Van Vleet. He was already teetering on the cusp of being a star in this league, and I think the year Houston had last season has put them on everyone's radar. If Thompson doesn't win this award, I could see the young Turkish big man nicknamed "Baby Joker" taking it home.

Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama (ESPN's choice: Victor Wembanyama)

Last season, Wemby's bid at his first DPOY was cut short by injury. This year, he's added a few inches and pounds, and looks to be chomping at the bit to compete for some hardware. He almost won DPOY a few seasons ago, despite the dismal season his team was having. I think the Spurs break into the play-in this season, and that'll be enough attention to get him his first of what I expect to be many DPOY selections.

Dark horse for DPOY: Amen Thompson

Man, Amen could wind up taking a lot of hardware home! Rightfully so, he's an electric player. Already one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, we could see him take another step now that he's a year older with some playoff experience under his belt. The voters for this league favor big men and the impact they have on the game, but if Amen makes enough plays on primetime television, that could garner him enough notoriety that he could be one of the rare guards/wings to steal a DPOY in the last decade.

Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg (ESPN's choice: Cooper Flagg)

Cooper, unlike many highly-sought after number one overall picks, landed on a team that has an extremely competitive roster. When comparing Cooper to former top selections like Zion, Wemby, and LeBron- you'll see a stark contrast with what he's inheriting and what they were thrust into. Cooper gets to go through the bumps and bruises of his first NBA season along side former champions Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and an injured Kyrie Irving. That's a luxurious situation number ones like LeBron and Zion just didn't fall into. He's got a respected coach in Jason Kidd, and tons of talent that will keep him from busting under too much pressure.

Dark horse for ROTY: Jeremiah Fears

Based off their preseason outings, it appears Fears will be coming off the bench behind Alvarado and Poole to start the season. That being said, it seems like every season the Pelicans get struck with the injury bug that derails their season, and this one could be no different. Whether that plagues the New Orleans ball club this season or not, I expect Fears to show something off the bench as a sensational scorer that can also create for others. Depending on how the season fares for a mainly defensive minded Alvarado, he could also sneak into the starting five, giving him a chance at competing with Flagg for the coveted ROTY honors.

Regular Season MVP: Luka Doncic (ESPN's choice: Nikola Jokic)

Luka is truly in shape coming into the season for the first time since, arguably, the 2019-2020 shortened season. He personally looked fantastic in EuroBasket, as he carried Slovenia to a near upset of the future champion Germany, despite the drastic lack of professional-level talent on their national roster. Now he's looking great in limited time in the preseason, and I expect the frustration of last season's disappointing ending, as well as LeBron taking more of a back seat, will lead to him putting up some hefty numbers. He probably should have won in 2024, but Jokic's greatness of 2023 had bled over into an equally great regular season, and he deserved it after that travesty of Embiid winning over him that previous season. I think if Luka stayed healthy and was not backstabbed by his general manager, he wins his first MVP last season as a Maverick, but the dominoes just happened to fall a different way. Yes, Jokic is still the belt-holder for the best in the league, and yes, the Lakers are not quite contenders with their current roster make-up, but voter fatigue is real, and as previously mentioned- players often remind fans of what they deserve.

Dark horse for MVP: Anthony Edwards

If you've read my previous basketball themed installments on this blog, you'll know how high I am on the Timberwolves superstar guard. Basketball historians understand there are levels to success, both as a team, and as a player. You have to go through speed bumps until you break through. Well, the Wolves have been to consecutive conference finals, and I think it might be time for them to break through. But there hasn't been a complete overhaul of the roster in Minnesota, nor the addition of a big name guy that will push them over the top. No, instead I'm banking on the metamorphosis of Anthony Edwards, from just another exciting player on a young up-and-coming team, to the unstoppable force that is the leader of a true contender. Their success lies all with him, he has the talent to do something only the likes of LeBron, Jordan, and Kobe level players can do- but he has to make another leap. If he does, he could win the MVP.

Those are my thoughts on the upcoming NBA season. As much as I love football, I just cannot wait for the NBA season to get going. We'll see how accurate I am in due time!

Thanks for reading!