The finalists for all six regular-season NBA awards have been announced.
The candidates for the most prestigious award — most valuable player — are Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, and James Harden.
Giannis won MVP last season and is the front-runner to win the award again.
The candidates for most improved player are Luka Doncic, Bam Adebayo, and Brandon Ingram.
Although Doncic was much better in his sophomore season than he was in his rookie season, the most improved player award seems to be a two-candidate race between Adebayo and Ingram.
The candidates for sixth man of the year are Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, and Dennis Schroder.
It’s a bit peculiar to see Williams and Harrell — both members of the Los Angeles Clippers — on the list for sixth man of the year; but it seems likely that one of them will win the award.
The candidates for defensive player of the year are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Rudy Gobert.
Antetokounmpo seems to be a lock for the win considering underdog candidate Marcus Smart didn’t join the finalists.
The candidates for rookie of the year are Ja Morant, Kendrick Nunn, and Zion Williamson.
It’s all but guaranteed that Morant will win the rookie of the year award.
The candidates for NBA coach of the year are Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, and Billy Donovan.
Although a case could be made for all three finalists, it seems most likely that Nurse will walk away with the hardware.
Stay tuned to see who ultimately wins the NBA regular season awards.