2023-24 NBA Awards Predictions: MVP, All-NBA Picks and More
Another NBA regular season is here, and thus it's time to predict the major awards to be won ahead of the 2023-24 campaign:
Most Valuable Player- Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is the quintessential "boring" pick to win the award, but it's hard to go against the near-unanimous best player in the world. Jokic isn't flashy, but is elite in almost every aspect of the offensive side of the ball.
Jokic also impacts winning as much as anyone in the game, having taken the 2022 Nuggets to the postseason with a roster mostly made up of players that are now out of the league.
Joel Embiid winning the award last year and Jokic winning an NBA title also likely quell any "voter fatigue" issues.
Rookie of the Year- Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is as much of a "chalk" selection for this award as there's been since LeBron James, and there's nothing wrong with it.
The 7-foot-4 phenom is coming into the league with hype possibly only matched by a handful of other players making their professional debuts (Zion Williamson, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal).
The Frenchman seems to be entering the league as a shoe-in for at least 20 points a night, along with incredible defense. The only thing stopping Victor from winning the award is potential health concerns.
Scoot Henderson, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, and Ausar Thomson also deserve recognition here, as any of these could be in a potential rookie of the year conversation any other year.
Defensive Player of the Year- Evan Mobley
Mobley was within striking distance of winning the award last season, finishing third behind winner Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez.
Mobley is primed to finally breakout as a star on both ends, but his notable ability to truly be a jack-of-all-trades defender is still there. Mobley takes this award over Jackson Jr, Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Davis.
Sixth Man of the Year- Malik Monk
This might be the most interesting race, as obvious top candidates such as Norman Powell, Chris Paul, and Immanuel Quickly very well might start more than come off the bench.
Monk has been on an upward trajectory the last two-to-three seasons and finally had a sizable role on a good team last season. Monk figures to come off the bench for Sacramento behind Kevin Huerter, but still expects to receive significant volume in the Kings' potent offensive system.
Most Improved Player- Cade Cunningham
This truly is a back-and-forth debate between Cunningham and Nets forward Mikal Bridges. This race could go either way.
Cunningham is coming off of a disappointing 2022-23 season that ended with foot surgery early on in the campaign.
The former number one overall pick likely has the upper hand over Bridges if all things go as expected, due to Cade's ability to stuff the stat sheet, and the potential the Pistons have to break out as a competitive team.
Last year's winner, Lauri Markkanen, came out of nowhere, so it's also quite reasonable to point out some potential sleepers in the race- OKC's Jalen Williams, Houston's Jalen Green, and Portland's Shaedon Sharpe.
Coach of the Year- Frank Vogel
This could very well be an award that goes to Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault Boston's Joe Mazzulla, or another coach of a team that breaks out. However, Vogel finally gets a long awaited coach of the year honor.
Managing a completely new situation with personnel that doesn't necessarily match one's strengths is a tough task for the former title-winning coach.
If Vogel can get the Suns near the top of the league standings while helping the team over-perform on defense could very well favor the Suns first-year man.
Western Conference All-Stars
Starters
G- Luka Doncic
G- Stephen Curry
F- LeBron James
F- Kevin Durant
F- Nikola Jokic
Reserves
G- Devin Booker
G- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
F- Anthony Davis
F- Victor Wembanyama
F- Lauri Markkanen
WC- Anthony Edwards
WC- Jamal Murray
Eastern Conference All-Stars
Starters
G- Damian Lillard
G- Donovan Mitchell
F- Jayson Tatum
F- Giannis Antetokounmpo
F- Joel Embiid
Reserves
G- Trae Young
G- Jalen Brunson
F- Jimmy Butler
F- Mikal Bridges
F- Bam Adabeyo
WC- Tyrese Haliburton
WC- Paolo Banchero
All-NBA First Team
Stephen Curry
Luka Doncic
Jayson Tatum
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Nikola Jokic
All-NBA Second Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Devin Booker
Jimmy Butler
LeBron James
Joel Embiid
All-NBA Third Team
Trae Young
Donovan Mitchell
Jimmy Butler
Anthony Davis
Victor Wembanyama
These All-NBA teams assume consistent health for all of the recipients, with the new 65-game minimum rule to be considered for postseason awards.
All-Defense First Team
Jaden McDaniels
Bam Adabeyo
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Anthony Davis
Evan Mobley
All-Defense Second Team
Marcus Smart
Walker Kessler
Nic Claxton
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Brook Lopez
Note: All-defense teams are position-less this season.
All-Rookie First Team
Scoot Henderson
Ausar Thompson
Brandon Miller
Victor Wembanyama
Chet Homgren
All-Rookie Second Team
Amen Thompson
Bilal Coulibaly
Gradey Dick
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Dereck Lively II
