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The candidates for the awards have been announced. Who are your selections for the 2024-25 NBA honors?
Eighteen of the 21 nominees across the seven principal NBA awards were players I included on my ballots. This also aligns with all my top choices, making it a straightforward task for me. For the Kia MVP, I cast my vote for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Nikola Jokić, based on Oklahoma City’s 68 wins compared to Denver’s 50, as well as the straightforward criterion of “the top player on the top team.”
Additional observations: Castle for his high usage rate following the injuries to Wembanyama and Fox. I chose Payton over Beasley for his exceptional embodiment of the sparkplug role. I favored Brunson for his clutch performance, averaging 5.6 points on 51.5% shooting and hitting 1.8 free throws. Bickerstaff narrowly surpasses Atkinson due to a more substantial challenge he faced in Detroit. Daniels captures the Kia Defensive Player of the Year with impressive defensive metrics, and also receives the Kia Most Improved award for significantly enhancing his overall contributions, including more than doubling his scoring average—resulting in my two votes for the season awards.
Determining the deserving player for the Kia MVP is both an incredibly challenging and a straightforward task.
It’s challenging because distinguishing between the top two candidates (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić) is perplexing. Both possess remarkable resumes that would typically clinch the MVP in any other season. Yet, it’s also straightforward because no one could reasonably criticize a vote for either Gilgeous-Alexander or Jokić; both are exceedingly worthy contenders.
If I must make a choice, I lean towards Gilgeous-Alexander due to his all-around game, dependability, and the success of his team.
The selection for Coach of the Year proved to be intriguing. Had J.B. Bickerstaff not been the coach of the Cavs last season, he would have been an obvious frontrunner. The Pistons experienced a dramatic improvement, ranking as the third-best offensive team in the league and the most improved on defense, all without any significant roster changes. Unfortunately for Bickerstaff, Kenny Atkinson has transformed his previous team (which made even fewer adjustments) into a title contender.
Naz Reid was the non-finalist who received a first-place vote in this category. His box score stats surpassed those of all other Sixth Man candidates, and the Timberwolves had a significantly better performance with him on the court (plus-7.4 points per 100 possessions) than without him (plus-2.5).
The biggest accolade — Kia MVP — was also the hardest to determine. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to take home the award, but anyone who thinks there is a significant difference between him and Nikola Jokić is mistaken. The gap between Oklahoma City and the rest of the Western Conference is what supports Gilgeous-Alexander’s claim for the title.
Regarding the other awards, Daniels was nominated for both the Kia Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved honors; typically, in such scenarios, candidates may end up with none due to split voting. He made my list for the defensive honor. Ivica Zubac exemplifies the term “most improved,” emerging as a player who has dramatically elevated his game after several seasons of stagnation.
