Regular Season Awards ballot

With the regular season approaching, here is how I would vote if I had an official ballot to vote for the various awards at the end of the season. An important rule to remember is that there is a 65-game requirement. For the game to count, a player must play at least 20 minutes in a game for it to count toward the requirement. Unlike the All-Star teams, I will follow the rules associated with regular ballot voting. I won’t include individual stat lines within the awards categories. Still, below each award, I will explain my thinking for each award so there is some rationale and explanation behind my choices. Now, without further ado, here are the 2024-2025 award winners for the NBA!

MVP

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Nikola Jokic
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Jayson Tatum 
5. Donovan Mitchell

Reaction & Explanation:

Nikola Jokic is having a season that is unlike any other we have ever seen. He’s averaging the most efficient 30-point triple-double the NBA has ever seen. He’s arguably at the peak of his powers that also include winning 3 of the prior 4 NBA MVP awards, however, this speaks to the abilities Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has in himself. He leads the NBA in scoring at 32.8 points per game and has his team leading by almost 14 games on the 2nd seed in the hardest conference in the NBA. I have no issue with either guy winning, but I like rewarding winning overall, along with absurd counting numbers. Oh, and SGA is shooting 52% from the field and 37% from 3 as a 6’6” guard with a large mid-range shot diet. He's been unbelievable and gets my MVP vote this year. I have Antetokounmpo ahead of Tatum because I can’t ignore the difference between the counting numbers for both. Tatum is averaging 27-9-6 on 58 TS%, compared to Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30-12-6 on 62.3 TS%. Giannis, without Dame, has tapped into his playmaking as well, averaging over 7 assists a game since his injury. There is a large gap in those stats for me, and it is part of the reason why Giannis grabs the 3rd spot over Tatum for me. Yes, the winning for Tatum has been impressive and asked to do a little bit more than in years past, but still not enough for me to put him past Giannis, unfortunately. The final spot goes to Donovan Mitchell, who is having a phenomenal season and leading the Cavaliers with the best offense in the NBA. Some argument could be made for Edwards of Curry to sneak into the 5th spot. However, Mitchell’s overall season of 24 ppg on 44/37 splits is solid, along with 5 assists. He’s also doing this on just 31 minutes a game, too. 

All-NBA teams 

The All-NBA teams are probably the most important awards on the ballot because these have financial implications for some players with a contract. Teams can offer a max or supermax contract that ranges anywhere between 25-35% of a team's salary cap. This, along with the MVP, has a 65-game requirement. None of the MVP candidates were in jeopardy of missing this limit, so I did not include it in the original write-up; however, some names are in jeopardy of missing more than 17 games. The player also has to play more than 20 minutes of it to count a game played. It is worth noting that the All-NBA teams are position less as well, unlike years past.

First-Team 

G - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

G - Donovan Mitchell

G/F - Jayson Tatum 

F - Giannis Antetokounmpo

C - Nikola Jokic 

Second-Team

G - Anthony Edwards

G - Steph Curry

G - Cade Cunningham

F - Lebron James 

F/C - Evan Mobley 

Third-Team

G - Tyrese Haliburton  

G- Jalen Brunson

C - Karl Anthony-Towns

C - Alperen Sengun

C/F - Jaren Jackson Jr.

Reaction/Explanation 

I think the first team is pretty self-explanatory for the most part. The only argument I could see was that Evan Mobley was being replaced by someone on the third team, but I think he is on the second team for me because he has been great on both ends of the floor. I believe the post All-Star push and trade deadline push from both Curry and James gives them second-team honors for me. Both have been awesome for their teams. James has shown his defensive ability when he’s locked in, and Curry has returned to scoring seemingly every point at times for Golden State. He’s the only guy in the league who is constantly guarded and monitored by every defensive player on the floor. Cade Cunningham earns his first All-NBA nod on the second team. He’s arguably been a top 5 point guard so far this season and a large portion of the Pistons' turnaround. On the third team, I have Haliburton and Brunson. Haliburton earns it for me after strong play post All-Star break with averages of 21-11-4 on 69.2 TS%. Brunson joins his teammate Karl Anthony-Towns on the third team. Part of the reason for the third team is the defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. gets a third-team nod after a stellar season. He’s been the most consistent Grizzly this season. The final spot goes to Alperen Sengun, but if people wanted to take the route of Sabonis, I could see it. But I can’t reward the Kings with Sabonis putting up similar stats along with worse defense than Sengun.

I did not include Kevin Durant, given he will likely miss the rest of the season and will not qualify for games played. Damian Lillard also falls into this category. Cade Cunningham, Lebron James, and Steph Curry all need to play at least 2 more games to qualify; however, it does not seem they’ll miss these games, and I will include them in the All-NBA teams. Devin Booker, unfortunately, did not make it for me after a disappointing season for the Suns, along with a down-shooting season for Booker. 

DPOY

This award seemed to be locked up by Victor Wembanyama as soon as the season began; however, an unfortunate blood clot ended Wembanyama’s season early and has allowed for a real discussion to develop over the second half of the season, with multiple players putting their names in contention. Here is how I would vote. 

DPOY

1. Evan Mobley
2. Dyson Daniels
3. Lu Dort
4. Jaren Jackson Jr.
5. Amen Thompson

Reaction/Explanation:

I think Mobley has been just a little bit better than Daniels throughout the entire season so far, given how versatile he is in guarding multiple positions. It is the built-in advantage bigs have over guards, but the eye test also supports this, in my opinion. Daniels has the most steals and deflections in the NBA and is super fun to watch on that end of the floor with how he hounds opposing offensive players. He always has his hands active and reads passing lanes super well. Dort is the best defender on the best defense in the NBA. Even if the counting numbers don’t support it, the advanced metrics do. Jackson Jr. has slipped a little bit, in my opinion, since this list last came out. He is ultimately a very good defender with amazing stock numbers.  I think Dort and Jackson Jr. have a solid lead over Thompson. I did not include Draymond on the top 5 voting because I think you have to look at the year as a whole for him instead of the last month, honestly. Surprisingly, he is the current betting favorite. 

All-NBA Defensive Teams 

First-Team 

G - Dyson Daniels

G - Amen Thompson

G - Lu Dort 

F/C - Evan Mobley 

F/C - Jaren Jackson Jr.

Second-Team

G/F - Toumani Camara

G/F - Jalen Williams

G/F - OG Anunoby

C/F - Draymond Green 

C/F - Bam Adebayo

Reaction/Explanation:

Probably the toughest conversations I’ve had in a while with this one. The first-team I handle the same as the MVP in the top five are on the first of-team All-Defense. The second team I had a couple of different names I wanted to put into the spots, but it is so hard for a couple of different reasons. I don’t like punishing guys who are overall bad defense partly because they have to clean up so much of what they do. Bam Adebayo is always a staple of this, as he does so much on the defensive end of the floor for the Heat. I decided on Williams for the Thunder, as they should get rewarded for having the best defense in the league. OG Anunoby, has been fantastic this season for the Knicks. Rudy Gobert, outside of the first month of the season, has been really good. The numbers don’t look great, but he’s been a good anchor for Minnesota. Kris Dunn was also another player I felt like needed some recognition, along with Andrew Nembhard. Ivica Zubac was close for me as well to make an all-defensive team. He's been outstanding this season for the Clippers. They just fell short for me on the second team. I also think everyone needs to wake up on Toumani Camara. He is an absolute stud on that end of the floor. He guards whoever the Blazers need him to guard. Derrick White is another guy who was close but did not make it for me. 

ROTY

This award seemed to go to Jared McCain after he came out of the gate blazing through he wonderful shooting and offensive creation looking like the best offensive player in the draft for the first 25 games of the season, however, a knee injury ended his season early making the rookie of the year race quite interesting. The award, in general, is interesting because it is hard to take into account all the different situations rookies have and how their highs are high and their lows are very low. Nonetheless, here’s how I would vote. There is no requirement for games played or minutes played; however, McCain being injured, for me, says that he won’t be on the list, given the very small sample size compared to the others. 

ROTY

1. Stephon Castle
2. Alex Sarr
3. Zaccharie Risacher
4. Jaylen Wells 
5. Kel’el Ware

Reaction/Explanation

Castle hasn’t been extremely efficient, but it isn’t like the two guys below him have been either. Both Sarr and Risacher aren’t exactly setting the nets on fire with 48.6 TS% and 54.7 TS%. Castle has looked the part on both ends of the floor for a more consistent amount of time throughout the season. Jaylen Wells, unfortunately, has had a rough end of the season. The Grizzlies' chaotic rotations don’t help, but he hasn’t been great either of late, however, the overall season production speaks for itself. He'll unfortunately miss some time after a scary fall the other night against the Hornets and suffered a broken wrist.  Ware, after getting a ton of time, has found himself to be one of the more important players for the Heat rotation of late. He was inserted into the starting lineup around January and hasn’t looked back with his production. 

All-Rookie Teams

First-Team

G - Stephon Castle

G - Jaylen Wells 

F - Zaccharie Risacher

C - Alex Sarr

C - Kel’el Ware

Second-Team

G - Bub Carrington

G - Isaiah Collier

F - Matas Buzelis

C - Zach Edey

C - Yves Missi

Reaction/Explanation

The first team is an obvious four between Castle, Wells, Sarr, and Risacher, for me. I think  Ware or Missi should get the fifth spot, but I’m giving it to Ware, given his overall production in a large sample size versus Missi's hit-or-miss games. The second team gets very interesting, though. Carrington and Colliers earned spots for me, given how impressive they have been throughout the season and Collier’s production from January on. Carrington has been consistent the entire season with some ups and downs, but having a larger sample size will generally give you no better results than others. Edey, the favorite heading into the season, had a very inconsistent role with the Grizzlies this season, but still, his production got him on the second team, and the final spot went to Buzelis. Admittedly, I like Buzelis overall. Even if the stats don’t show it, the eye-test and flashes he has throughout the game tell me he deserved a second-team all-rookie nod. 

MIP

The most improved player award has gotten some criticism of late in the media, given who is winning the awards and how the league may be losing touch with what the award means. I completely understand this, but I think some guys do need praise, given the jump they’ve made in their careers, no matter where they are drafted. Yes, being first overall means the potential is high, but it is an entirely different thing to reach that potential, and when guys do, they deserve the praise for it because it isn’t a given. The 65-game rule does apply to most improved, which eliminate Norman Powell. 

MIP

1. Dyson Daniels
2. Cade Cunningham
3. Tyler Herro
4. Evan Mobley
5. Austin Reaves

Daniels is winning the award for me, given how impressive his development has been throughout the entire season and what he was last season. He’s a very solid offense player with an improving shot, and he’s one of the best, if the best, on-ball defenders in the NBA who was essentially thrown into the Dejounte Murray trade this past off-season. His season is one of the best defensive performances we’ve seen from a guard in a while. Cade Cunningham comes up second. He was my preseason pick; however, he’ll finish second, given how insane Daniels has been. I still think Cunningham deserves the praise as making a second-team All-NBA and becoming the face of a franchise this year has been quite impressive.  Herro and Mobley both make for me after earning their first All-Star appearances while Reaves earns the 5th spot. It is worth noting that Norman Powell is not eligible for the award as the 65-game limit does apply. 

6MOTY

The 6th man of the year will only include the top 3 votes, given the small pool available for the award. However, it’s been a pretty sure thing throughout the season, until a guy from Detroit had the best shooting season in quite some time. Here’s how I would vote. The 65 game limit does not apply for 6th man of the year. 

6MOTY

1. Malik Beasley
2. Payton Pritchard
3. Ty Jerome

Reaction/Explanation

Beasley gets my vote for 6MOTY with how incredible he’s been shooting the ball all season long and how much Detroit has needed his shooting. Without him, they wouldn’t be near the success they are having, given the timeliness of the makes. Pritchard led for a majority of the season, even though he had a 40-point outing that included 10 made threes. Pritchard has been awesome, nonetheless, for the Celtics off the bench this year. Jerome slides into the third spot, just beating out his teammate, Deandre Hunter, for the spot. Jerome is having a career year and is an instrumental part of the Cavaliers' offense with Mitchell and/or Garland off the floor. 

COTY

Coach of the Year is an awesome award that goes to an impressive season a team is having or a team defying preseason expectations. This is how I would vote for Coach of the Year. Similar to the 6th man of the year, this section will only have 3 nominees. 

COTY 

1. Kenny Atkinson
2. J.B. Bickerstaff
3. Ime Udoka

Reaction/Explanation

Atkinson has revolutionized the Cavaliers' offense and has them winning more than 60 games for just the third time in the franchise’s history. He barely earns the vote over J.B. Bickerstaff. Bickerstaff has the Pistons in the playoffs and the most wins since the 2018-2019 season. Bickerstaff has captivated the young team through their physicality and has been able to play some special basketball. Ime Udoka gets the third spot for me as his Rockets have landed the 2nd seed in the West. He was my preseason pick. 

This concludes the awards. I know the Clutch player of the year and Executive of the year are not mentioned, but do you guys care about that? Probably not. Anyway, feel free to comment your thoughts below.