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Every year, a couple of awards and positions on the ballot keep me up at night, trying to make the right call — but rarely is that tough call at the top of the MVP ballot.
It was this year. What follows is my official ballot for the NBA's end-of-season awards, and we'll start with the hardest choice on the board.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
4. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
5. LeBron James (Lakers)
I could write 3,000 words here to explain — Nuggets fans may say "try to justify" — my pick here. The reality is that both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are deserving (and in some years, Antetokounmpo could have won with the campaign he had). This is as difficult a decision on MVP as I can remember.
For me, it came down to two things, both based around the idea of how valuable each player is to his team — something many people seemed to think applies to Jokic but I think is far more even, and even tilts SGA. First, both players are incredibly valuable. However, the fact that Sam Presti did a better job of roster construction than Denver's now-fired GM Calvin Booth can't be held against SGA. When it comes to driving winning, Gilgeous-Alexander is a better defender, which helps earn wins. Besides, SGA has more win shares per 48 minutes.
Also, I could not get this stat out of my head: Ten times in NBA history the NBA's leading scorer was on a 60+ win team, something Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player to do with his play this year. Nine of those players won MVP. The one that didn't was Michael Jordan in the 1996-97 season when voters gave it to Karl Malone, a case now seen as voter fatigue with Jordan.
The other difficult choice for me was the fifth spot, which I ultimately gave to LeBron James because — whether it was Anthony Davis or Luka Doncic on the team — he was the glue that held the Lakers together this season. He was the reason they racked up all the wins.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
4. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
5. LeBron James (Lakers)
1. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
2. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
3. Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
4. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
5. Stephen Curry (Warriors)
1. Jalen Williams (Thunder)
2. Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
3. Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
4. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
5. Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
It was very tough to leave Alperen Sengun off this list, he was my 16th guy, and while I don't buy into the "this team needs a representative" crap, not having a Rocket felt like an oversight. Along the same lines, I felt terrible not having Ivica Zubac or James Harden on the list after a quality season for a team that exceeded expectations. It was the opposite problem with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant — they put up great numbers, but with the way the Suns played all season, the way the team let go of the rope at the end, how do you reward them with a spot on the top 15?
1. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
2. Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
3. Draymond Green (Warriors)
This was brutal — Victor Wembanyama was running away with this award before the deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder ended his season and kept him shy of the 65-game, league-mandated cutoff. (Wembanyama played in 46 games but still finished with 176 total blocked shots, the most in the league, 28 more than the Bucks' Brook Lopez, who was second.)
Everyone remaining had a case was flawed. For my money, Mobley was the most valuable defender for his team because he both defended guys on the perimeter and did it consistently all season long (which is why I had him in front of Green).
Dort was the best perimeter defender I saw this season, with all due respect to Dyson Daniels. Dort just gets in guys' heads.
1. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
2. Draymond Green (Warriors)
3. Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
4. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
5. Amen Thompson (Rockets)
1. Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
2. Jalen Williams (Thunder)
3. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
4. OG Anunoby (Knicks)
5. Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
I could have filled a third team with deserving guys, including Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves) and Bam Adebayo (Heat), who just feel like snubs here.
1. Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
2. J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
3. Ime Udoka (Rockets)
Leaving Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and Jamahl Mosley (Magic) off this list hurts, let alone deserving guys like Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) and Mark Daigneault (Thunder). It was a deep class, but Atkinson gets the credit for taking the same players the Cavaliers had for a few years and getting more out of them with an improved offense.
1. Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
2. Malik Beasley (Pistons)
3. Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)
Pritchard is a 6'1" guard who does the things you expect from a smaller guard — like shoot 40.9% from 3 — but also things you don't expect, like being an elite offensive rebounder. I looked for a way to give this to Beasley, because he meant so much to Detroit, but this is Pritchard's year.
1. Stephon Castle (Spurs)
2. Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
3. Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
It was a down year for rookies, especially after Jared McCain was injured and out for the season before it even started.
1. Stephon Castle (Spurs)
2. Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
3. Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
4. Zach Edey (Grizzlies)
5. Kel'el Ware (MIA)
1. Matas Buzelis (Bulls)
2. Alex Sarr (Wizards)
3. Yves Missi (Pelicans)
4. Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers)
5. Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
1. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
2. Christian Braun (Nuggets)
3. Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
Let me be clear: My vote for Daniels to win this award had zero to do with the fact that Cunningham is a former No. 1 pick and this was expected of him. My guideline for this award is "which player do I think improved the most year-over-year?" That's it. If Jokic improved the most this season over last, give him the award. Cunningham had a big year and made an All-NBA leap, but Daniels saw the bigger improvement. As did Christian Braun, flying under the radar
1. Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
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It was this year. What follows is my official ballot for the NBA's end-of-season awards, and we'll start with the hardest choice on the board.
NBA Most Valuable Player
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
4. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
5. LeBron James (Lakers)
I could write 3,000 words here to explain — Nuggets fans may say "try to justify" — my pick here. The reality is that both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are deserving (and in some years, Antetokounmpo could have won with the campaign he had). This is as difficult a decision on MVP as I can remember.
For me, it came down to two things, both based around the idea of how valuable each player is to his team — something many people seemed to think applies to Jokic but I think is far more even, and even tilts SGA. First, both players are incredibly valuable. However, the fact that Sam Presti did a better job of roster construction than Denver's now-fired GM Calvin Booth can't be held against SGA. When it comes to driving winning, Gilgeous-Alexander is a better defender, which helps earn wins. Besides, SGA has more win shares per 48 minutes.
Also, I could not get this stat out of my head: Ten times in NBA history the NBA's leading scorer was on a 60+ win team, something Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player to do with his play this year. Nine of those players won MVP. The one that didn't was Michael Jordan in the 1996-97 season when voters gave it to Karl Malone, a case now seen as voter fatigue with Jordan.
The other difficult choice for me was the fifth spot, which I ultimately gave to LeBron James because — whether it was Anthony Davis or Luka Doncic on the team — he was the glue that held the Lakers together this season. He was the reason they racked up all the wins.
All-NBA Teams
First Team
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
4. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
5. LeBron James (Lakers)
Second Team
1. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
2. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
3. Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
4. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
5. Stephen Curry (Warriors)
Third Team
1. Jalen Williams (Thunder)
2. Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
3. Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
4. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
5. Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
It was very tough to leave Alperen Sengun off this list, he was my 16th guy, and while I don't buy into the "this team needs a representative" crap, not having a Rocket felt like an oversight. Along the same lines, I felt terrible not having Ivica Zubac or James Harden on the list after a quality season for a team that exceeded expectations. It was the opposite problem with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant — they put up great numbers, but with the way the Suns played all season, the way the team let go of the rope at the end, how do you reward them with a spot on the top 15?
NBA Defensive Player of the Year
1. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
2. Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
3. Draymond Green (Warriors)
This was brutal — Victor Wembanyama was running away with this award before the deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder ended his season and kept him shy of the 65-game, league-mandated cutoff. (Wembanyama played in 46 games but still finished with 176 total blocked shots, the most in the league, 28 more than the Bucks' Brook Lopez, who was second.)
Everyone remaining had a case was flawed. For my money, Mobley was the most valuable defender for his team because he both defended guys on the perimeter and did it consistently all season long (which is why I had him in front of Green).
Dort was the best perimeter defender I saw this season, with all due respect to Dyson Daniels. Dort just gets in guys' heads.
NBA All-Defensive Teams
First Team
1. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
2. Draymond Green (Warriors)
3. Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
4. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
5. Amen Thompson (Rockets)
Second Team
1. Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
2. Jalen Williams (Thunder)
3. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
4. OG Anunoby (Knicks)
5. Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
I could have filled a third team with deserving guys, including Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves) and Bam Adebayo (Heat), who just feel like snubs here.
NBA Coach of the Year
1. Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
2. J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
3. Ime Udoka (Rockets)
Leaving Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and Jamahl Mosley (Magic) off this list hurts, let alone deserving guys like Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) and Mark Daigneault (Thunder). It was a deep class, but Atkinson gets the credit for taking the same players the Cavaliers had for a few years and getting more out of them with an improved offense.
NBA Sixth Man of the Year
1. Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
2. Malik Beasley (Pistons)
3. Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)
Pritchard is a 6'1" guard who does the things you expect from a smaller guard — like shoot 40.9% from 3 — but also things you don't expect, like being an elite offensive rebounder. I looked for a way to give this to Beasley, because he meant so much to Detroit, but this is Pritchard's year.
NBA Rookie of the Year
1. Stephon Castle (Spurs)
2. Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
3. Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
It was a down year for rookies, especially after Jared McCain was injured and out for the season before it even started.
NBA All-Rookie Teams
First Team
1. Stephon Castle (Spurs)
2. Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
3. Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
4. Zach Edey (Grizzlies)
5. Kel'el Ware (MIA)
Second Team
1. Matas Buzelis (Bulls)
2. Alex Sarr (Wizards)
3. Yves Missi (Pelicans)
4. Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers)
5. Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
NBA Most Improved Player
1. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
2. Christian Braun (Nuggets)
3. Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
Let me be clear: My vote for Daniels to win this award had zero to do with the fact that Cunningham is a former No. 1 pick and this was expected of him. My guideline for this award is "which player do I think improved the most year-over-year?" That's it. If Jokic improved the most this season over last, give him the award. Cunningham had a big year and made an All-NBA leap, but Daniels saw the bigger improvement. As did Christian Braun, flying under the radar
NBA Clutch Player of the Year
1. Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
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