Predicting the 2020-21 NBA Awards - MVP, DPOY, ROTY and more
The 2020-21 NBA regular season has come to an end, and the play-in tournament is coming up to determine the matchups for the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
There are many other things to determine at the end of the regular season, and the awards are always an interesting topic of discussion.
Predicting 2020-21 NBA Awards
The most prestigious individual award in the NBA regular season is the Most Valuable Player award. There was a great battle for this year's award, but injuries took some names out of the picture.
In this article, we take a look at our predictions for each award after the end of the 72-game 2020-21 NBA season.
Predictions for NBA MVP award winner 2021
As mentioned before, there was an exciting battle for the MVP award throughout the 2020-21 season.
LeBron James was initially tipped to be the frontrunner. However, injuries got in James' way, and his candidacy took a big hit.
Something similar happened to Philadelphia 76ers' center Joel Embiid, who had a stellar season but missed various games with physical issues.
In the end, the race for the MVP came down to a handful of names, with some having more chances than others. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) are likely to be in the top 5 in the MVP voting.
Nikola Jokic's greatness for the Denver Nuggets, along with his durability (he played each of the Nuggets' 72 games), make him the favorite for the award.
The Serbian center had an extraordinary campaign for the third-seeded Denver Nuggets (47-25), putting up averages of 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists (the second-highest in NBA history for a center) per game while having 56.6/38.8/86.8 shooting splits.
Moreover, Jokic led the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating at 31.28 (10th-best in league history). He also led the league in Win Shares, Box Plus/Minus and Value over Replacement while ranking in the top 5 in Defensive Win Shares and Defensive Box Plus/Minus.
Predictions for NBA DPOY award winner 2021
Rudy Gobert is likely to win his third Defensive Player of the Year award. The Utah Jazz center was a solid piece in the team's success and helped the team earn the NBA's top seed in the regular season.
Reigning winner Giannis Antetokounmpo has also had an extraordinary year on defense and is arguably the most versatile defensive force in the league. However, Gobert's advanced stats are clearly better, and many voters have made it clear that Antetokounmpo will suffer from voters' fatigue this year.
Gobert won his previous two DPOY trophies back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. He led the NBA in Defensive Rating, Defensive Win Shares, blocks per game and total rebounds.
Gobert was the anchor of the Utah Jazz defense and is the clear favorite for the award over solid challengers like Ben Simmons, Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
Predictions for NBA Rookie of the Year award winner 2021
The 2020 Draft class was not celebrated like many others before the season, and some even claimed it was not great. However, two of the first three picks in the draft were impressive this season. The other one (James Wiseman) showed potential, but injuries hurt his campaign.
LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) put on several scintillating performances throughout the 2020-21 regular season. The Rookie of the Year award will probably be decided between the two of them, with Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings) also receiving several votes.
Ball had a slightly better and more efficient campaign while also influencing his team's style of play. Meanwhile, Edwards played the entire season for the Timberwolves (23-49) and averaged 19.3 points (highest among rookies), 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game with 41/32/77 shooting splits.
Ball, who is the favorite to win the award, was second among rookies in points per game (15.7), second in rebounds per game (5.9), and first in assists per game (6.1). He also put up 43/35/75 shooting splits.
Haliburton, on his own merit, had a solid rookie campaign, putting up 13 points, three rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, with 47/40/85 shooting splits.
Predictions for NBA Sixth Man of the Year award winner 2021
The 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award has had a clear candidate since the start of the season, and that's Utah Jazz's Jordan Clarkson.
Though other bench players, such as Clarkson's own teammate Joe Ingles and reigning award winner Montrezl Harrell (LA Lakers), have had solid campaigns, Clarkson will surely take the trophy home.
Clarkson played 68 games for the Utah Jazz this season, with only one start, but averaged 18.4 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, with 42/34/89 shooting splits. He had 24 games with at least 20 points, five of at least 30 points, and a couple of 40-point nights.
Predictions for NBA Most Improved Player award winner 2021
The Most Improved Player award recognizes the player with the biggest progression from the previous campaign and is often a purely statistical award.
Brandon Ingram was the most recent winner of the award, as his explosion for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019-20 season made him an All-Star.
This season, there are some strong candidates for the prize, including favorite Julius Randle (New York Knicks), Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons) and Michael Porter (Denver Nuggets).
Statistically, Julius Randle has not taken the most impressive step (he averaged 19.5 points last season and is now at 24.1). However, he is the favorite to win the award because his influence on the court evolved massively, and it was noticeable in the New York Knicks' record.
Randle also matched his career-high 10.2 rebounds per game and put up a career-high six assists per game (3.6 was his previous best). He shot 45.6% from the field (third-lowest of his career) but made a career-high 41.1% from the three-point line (5.5 attempts per game) and a career-high 81.1% from the free-throw mark.
Predictions for NBA Coach of the Year award winner 2021
Guiding the New York Knicks in their solid 2020-21 NBA campaign, Tom Thibodeau is a tremendous candidate for the Coach of the Year award.
While Thibodeau will undoubtedly earn a lot of votes, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams is the favorite to win the award for the first time in his coaching career. The 49-year-old led his team to the second seed in the West and the second-best record in the NBA.
Williams is in his second season with the Suns and already had a solid outing last season, guiding the young team to a 34-39 record in the regular season.
Now, with the Suns being one of two teams with at least 50 wins in the season, Williams should be recognized for his work on the sidelines.
Quin Snyder will also receive consideration for the award, as he led the Utah Jazz to the best record in the entire NBA and to the NBA Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
Predictions for NBA Executive of the Year award winner 2021
The NBA Executive of the Year award winner represents a franchise that has worked well on the front office and a team that has translated those decisions to the basketball court.
In the current campaign, various executives were able to change their teams' fortunes with key choices that worked out tremendously. Some executives that have truly changed the outlook of their teams include Travis Schlenk of the Atlanta Hawks, Sean Marks of the Brooklyn Nets and the likely winner, Phoenix Suns' James Jones.
Jones pulled off a solid trade in the offseason that took Chris Paul to Phoenix, and it was essential for the Suns' 2020-21 NBA season.
CP3 guided the team on the court, turning the Phoenix Suns from a non-playoff team to a contender in the Western Conference.
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