The NBA postseason has arrived, and the marathon of the playoffs will run through the Finals in mid-June. It’s during this time that the league will announce the finalists for its regular season awards, then the recipients during a stretch from late April through mid-May. That gives us time to speculate, banter, and predict the winners. Here are the projections.
MVP: Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Thunder
It’s basically a three-man race among SGA, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama. But the reigning MVP gets the edge as he’s on the best team of the three, which matters to voters. Gilgeous-Alexander set a new career high in player efficiency rating (30.8) thanks to a blistering 55.3 field-goal percentage. That ranked 12th in the NBA and first among any non-power forward or center. SGA also contributed to his team winning unlike any player over the last half-century. Per Basketball-reference.com, SGA’s win shares per 48 minutes (.3231) were the fourth-highest in NBA history and the highest since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971-72.Runner-up: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
This award is the biggest runaway with Wemby leading the league in blocks (197) even though he ranked just 103rd in minutes played (1,866). His impact allowed San Antonio to rank third in defensive rating and force the fourth-lowest field-goal percentage. Wembanyama also didn’t allow his shot blocking prowess to take away from his responsibilities on the boards as he led the NBA in defensive rebound percentage.Runner-up: Chet Holmgren, Thunder
Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
The race between Flagg and his former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel, got much closer late in the season thanks to one’s ascension and the other’s struggles. Flagg became the youngest player to drop 50 points in a game and averaged 29-7-4 over his last six games, while Knueppel averaged just 13 points on 36 percent shooting over his last nine games. While Knueppel was more consistent throughout the season, voters will factor in that Flagg was playing out of position as a point guard early in the year.Runner-up: Kon Knueppel, Hornets
Most Improved Player: Jalen Duren, Pistons
This award has several deserving candidates from Jalen Johnson to Deni Avdija to Nickeil Alexander-Walker. But Duren made, arguably, the biggest leap in going from a serviceable starter to an All-NBA performer. He’s always been a rebounding/defensive force and finished sixth with 10.5 boards per game, but his offensive development was unforeseen. Duren’s scoring jumped from 11.8 points to 19.5 points, and who foresaw Jalen Duren being a 20-point scorer in the NBA?It wasn’t just empty calories scoring, either, as he propelled Detroit to the No. 1 seed in the East, and maybe just as importantly, he kept the Pistons afloat while Cade Cunningham was sidelined. Across the 13 games in which Duren played that Cunningham did not, Detroit went 10-3, and the big man averaged 22.2 points and 11.4 rebounds.
Runner-up: Jalen Johnson, Hawks
Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, Spurs
The longest-tenured Spur was a 22-point scorer in the 2022-23 season but took a secondary role for the betterment of the team. As a result, Johnson had his most efficient year in his seventh NBA season. He ranked second in the league in both points off the bench and rebounds as a reserve, with the latter deserving more context. On a per-36-minute basis, Johnson, who is a wing, averaged 8.3 rebounds per game. That topped several All-Star power forwards such as Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, and Scottie Barnes.
Runner-up: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat
Coach of the Year: Jordan Ott, Suns
After ridding themselves of Kevin Durant (and Bradley Beal), the Suns had a preseason wins over/under of 30.5, and just four teams had a lower O/U. Phoenix, however, far exceeded expectations, going 45-37 in Ott’s first season as a head coach. What makes the Suns’ season even more remarkable is the number of injuries they dealt with from their best players. The lone All-Star, Devin Booker, missed 18 games, while the team’s second (Dillon Brooks), third (Jalen Green), and fourth-leading (Grayson Allen) scorers all missed at least 26 games. Ott got the most out of whoever was on the floor for Phoenix—of the team’s nine leading scorers this season, six set new career highs in points per game.Runner-up: Charles Lee, Hornets
Executive of the Year: Onsi Saleh, Hawks
A rookie on the job, Saleh was promoted from Atlanta’s assistant GM in April 2025 and nailed his first year running the show. The fruits of Saleh’s labor won’t even be fully realized until the draft lottery, as the Hawks get the Pelicans’ unprotected first-round pick in 2026, which could be No. 1 overall. Among the notable on-court moves by Saleh include acquiring Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who doubled his scoring average from 9.4 points last year to 20.8 points this year, and a pair of trade deadline deals.At the trade deadline, Saleh made the difficult decision to move on from the face of the franchise, Trae Young, in addition to sending away Kristaps Porzingis. CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga were the headliners Atlanta got in return, and that duo spurred the Hawks over the last third of the season. Atlanta’s 19-5 record since February 22 was the third-best in the NBA and the best in the East as the Hawks went from play-in position to comfortably in the 2026 NBA playoffs field.
Runner-up: Brad Stevens, Celtics
