With the NBA season ending on Wednesday, it is the time of year when everyone on social media argues with each other about who should win each award. Regardless of who wins these awards, there are a ton deserving in each category, but there can only be one winner for each. So, without further ado, here are my picks for the 2023 NBA Awards. Stats are accurate as of Friday, April 7th.
Coach of the Year: Mike Brown
Light the beam! This one should be a no-brainer. The Kings had not made the playoffs since 2006, and very few, if any, people had them making the playoffs, and they are the 3rd seed. Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox deserve a ton of credit, but so does Brown’s leadership. The best part about this is that it seemed like Brown’s career as a head coach, as he had not been the head coach of a team since 2014. Well, it was the perfect marriage because both the Kings and Brown are in the best spot they have been in years.
Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero
This one is another relatively easy choice. While this has been a pretty good rookie class, Banchero has been fantastic. He is the only rookie averaging over 20 points a game and has certainly surpassed expectations this year. The Magic were projected to win 26.5 games this year, according to Draft Kings (I had them only winning 24 games), and they are going to win at least 34. Between Banchero, Franz Wagner, and whoever they take with their lottery pick this year, the Magic have a bright future.
Most Improved Player: Lauri Markkanen
I’d be shocked if anyone had money on Markkanen winning MIP this year. Despite the Jazz falling off a ton after the first couple of months of the season, Lauri was still fantastic for the entire season. In comparison to last year, he averaged 10.8 more points, his true shooting percentage jumped 5.8 points, and his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) went from 14.7 to 22.1 (15 is the league average). The Jazz are in an awkward position because they are not good enough to contend but almost too good to rebuild. But they have three good things going for them. Danny Ainge, all the draft picks they got from Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Markkanen.
Sixth Man of the Year: Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon has been literally everything the Celtics could have wanted. He has been a guy who has been able to lead the second unit on offense and can close a lot of games with his two-way ability. Immanuel Quickley is the current favorite to win the award. That said, he has also started 20 times, nearly once every four games. While their per-game stats are nearly neck and neck, Brogdon has also been more efficient. The only argument for Quickley is that he has played more games, but as long as Brogdon reaches the threshold and plays better, he should win the award.
Defensive Player of the Year: Brook Lopez
On a per-game basis, Jaren Jackson Jr. is probably the right choice. With this being said, he has played 15 fewer games than Lopez and plays fewer minutes per game. Lopez has also just been straight-up fantastic on the defensive end this year. He is first in total blocks, third in blocks per game, tied for fifth in defensive win shares, and eighth in defensive rating. A lot of these stats are not great indicators for a player’s impact on defense, but there simply are not many guys you would want protecting your rim than Lopez.
Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The MVP race is always the hardest one to decide. How much should the voters factor in traditional stats? How much should they factor in advanced stats? What about team success? The eye test? There has never been a set formula, and it feels like it changes every year. With this being said, my pick this year is Giannis.
I am usually a big advanced stats guy, but there needs to be a little more to it. Even though Nikola Jokic is having a historic offensive season, he truly is a defensive liability and REALLY struggles against elite bigs. As far as it goes for Joel Embiid vs. Giannis, I think Giannis is the better defender. Even though Embiid has been the better volume scorer, many people would argue the gap between their playmaking is bigger than the scoring gap.
Putting aside talent, Giannis has also had to face more adversity and has won more. Khris Middleton, who is supposed to be Giannis’s 2nd option, has only played in 33 games. Even though the Sixers have had their injuries, too, the Bucks have had to deal with a little more, and they still finished with a higher seed. It is super close, but these reasons are why Giannis should win MVP.
Conclusion:
The 2023 season was fantastic. Many guys were deserving of these awards, but only a select few can win one. Even if they believe they should have won an award, the ultimate redemption will be in about a week when the playoffs start.
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