Victor Wembanyama’s season-long rim protection made him a unanimous pick for Kia DPOY among our writers.
From time to time, NBA.com’s writers will share their takes on the biggest storylines and trends around the league.
Who will win each major individual NBA award and why?
Steve Aschburner
- Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: My top two were Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, and I went with the OKC guard (again) for a reason I cite below for a different award. Winning matters, here particularly, and a 10-game advantage in victories over Denver tipped my choice to Gilgeous-Alexander.
- Kia Rookie of the Year = Kon Knueppel: Out of the gate, Knueppel led the NBA in 3-pointers, shattered the old rookie record for threes, was one of the league’s most efficient scorers and was a major factor in the Hornets’ more than doubling their victory total from last season. He provided both glue and gravity, as explained in detail.
- NBA Coach of the Year = J.B. Bickerstaff: Who expected the Pistons to leap from 14 victories to 44 last year, then snag the East’s top seed this season while going 15-5 when their Kia MVP candidate, Cade Cunningham, didn’t play?
- Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Others logged more clutch minutes, but nobody scored more points, put up a better plus/minus (+93) or wound up with a better record (20-7) in the close ones than the guy who built a rep for sitting out lots of fourth quarters.
- Kia Most Improved Player = Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Alexander-Walker spun his fine work as a Sixth Man candidate for Minnesota in 2024-25 into a confidence boost to lift his game another notch.
- Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Victor Wembanyama: When a defender has opponents flinching, looking over their shoulders and veering out of the paint – even when he’s catching a breather on the Spurs bench – you know he’s a shoo-in for this award. That, plus the blocks, plus the mentality, make this his.
- Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Keldon Johnson: The Spurs called on Johnson off the bench (1,911 minutes) more than they used Wembanyama (1,866), a strong indicator of his value, durability and contributions.
Brian Martin
- Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: It came down to choosing between the two-way impact of Victor Wembanyama, the all-around offensive wizardry of Nikola Jokić and the inimitable scoring consistency of Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning MVP gets my vote to repeat thanks to his play in clutch moments and leading his team to the most wins in the league for the second straight season. OKC finished 64-18 (.780), but was 56-12 (.824) when Gilgeous-Alexander played.
- Kia Rookie of the Year = Kon Knueppel: Knueppel became the first rookie to ever lead the NBA in 3-pointers made – edging out teammate LaMelo Ball by a single longball – and edging out his former college teammate Cooper Flagg for top rookie honors. Beyond his shooting, Knueppel was a key factor in Charlotte’s rise from lottery team to postseason team. After winning their Play-In opener, the Hornets are one victory away from snapping a nine-year playoff drought.
- NBA Coach of the Year = Joe Mazzulla: The words “gap year” are not in Mazzulla’s vocabulary. While everyone in the basketball world would have given the Celtics a pass on a tough season following the devastating injury to Jayson Tatum in last year’s playoffs and the roster moves that followed in the summer, Mazzulla was not accepting any excuses. He led the Celtics to 56 wins and the 2 seed in the East, developing new, young talent and working Tatum back into the rotation down the stretch.
- Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The Thunder were so dominant throughout the season that Gilgeous-Alexander only appeared in 42 fourth quarters out of the 68 games that he played. But when he did play in the final frame, he was brilliant. He led the entire league in clutch scoring with 175 total points on 51.5% shooting, while also dishing out 21 assists against only seven turnovers when the game was on the line.
- Kia Most Improved Player = Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Not only did Alexander-Walker elevate his scoring average from 9.4 points last season in Minnesota to 20.8 points this season in Atlanta, but his game also improved over the course of this season. Before the All-Star break, Alexander-Walker averaged 20.1 points on 43.3% shooting and 37.3% from 3-point range. After the All-Star break, those numbers rose to 22.5 ppg on 52.2% shooting and 46% from deep.
- Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Victor Wembanyama: Wembanyama led the league in blocked shots at 3.1 per game, altered countless others and is such an intimidating presence in the paint that many players don’t dare challenge him. But Wembanyama’s impact goes beyond rim protection. His defensive matchup time was split across guards (24.4%), forwards (37.4%) and centers (38.2%), all of whom he held under 43% shooting.
- Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Jaime Jaquez Jr.: He led all bench players in scoring at 15.4 points per game on 51% shooting while adding five rebounds and nearly five assists per game. He helped keep Miami’s second-highest scoring offense humming when Erik Spoelstra called upon him, which was a lot at over 28 minutes per game.
Shaun Powell
- Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: NBA history could wonder how Nikola Jokić lost an MVP despite leading the league in rebounds and assists and ranking top-10 in scoring. It took a tremendous wire-to-wire season by Gilgeous-Alexander to do just that. His efficiency and scoring were off the charts, leading OKC to a league-best record.
- Kia Rookie of the Year = Kon Knueppel: He led the league in 3-pointers and shot 40.7% on them, a steep percentage for a volume deep shooter. He also set a rookie record for 3-pointers and was a major reason the Hornets more than doubled their win total.
- NBA Coach of the Year = Joe Mazzulla: A tough call between Mazzulla and Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, but Mazzulla found a way to steer the Celtics after they moved on from Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and having Jayson Tatum for only the final month. Boston finished No. 2 in the East, four games behind Detroit.
- Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Donovan Mitchell: The fourth quarter usually belonged to him as Mitchell not only ranked high in individual scoring in those quarters, but did so without a second option until James Harden arrived at midseason.
- Kia Most Improved Player = Nickeil Alexander-Walker: He was transformed from a role player in Minnesota to a major producer on the playoff Hawks. He made not only a massive leap in scoring but also set the franchise record for 3-pointers, all while reducing the need for the club’s previous 3-point king, the since-departed Trae Young, in the process.
- Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Victor Wembanyama: This could be the start of a run of Defensive Player of the Year awards for the young center who led the league in blocked shots and could’ve added more if the Spurs hadn’t restricted his playing time to under 30 minutes a night.
- Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Jaime Jaquez Jr.: He was a solid bench contributor all season (15.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 4.7 apg) who shot over 50% overall in just a mere 28 minutes a night.
John Schuhmann
- Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: This will sound like a cop-out, but if I could split my vote between Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, I would. But I’ll give the slight edge to Gilgeous-Alexander for team success and defense.
- Kia Rookie of the Year = Kon Knueppel: Cooper Flagg will probably be the better player, but Knueppel had ridiculous efficiency for a perimeter-playing rookie, and he gets credit for the Hornets being one of the most improved teams in the last 30 years.
- NBA Coach of the Year = Joe Mazzulla: The Celtics ranked in the top five on both ends of the floor for the fourth straight season, despite losing four of their top eight guys from last season and missing their best player for the first 62 games.
- Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: He led the league in both total clutch points and go-ahead buckets (16) in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, shooting 61% on clutch 2-pointers.
- Kia Most Improved Player = Nickeil Alexander-Walker: He saw a big increase in minutes, but also went from averaging 14.8 points per 36 minutes over his first six seasons to 22.5 per 36 this year, registering a career-high true shooting percentage of 61.0%.
- Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Victor Wembanyama: The Spurs allowed 10.1 fewer points per 100 possessions with Wembanyama on the floor (103.6) than they did with him off the floor (113.7). That’s a remarkable differential for a starter (who’s defending against other starters), especially because they have a good defender (Luke Kornet) backing him up.
- Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Jaime Jaquez Jr.: His per-game numbers are a little inflated by the Heat’s pace, but Jaquez was the best playmaker among the Sixth Man candidates and the reserve who was most important to his team’s success, consistently on the floor down the stretch of close games.
Jeff Zillgitt
- Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: His remarkably consistent elite offense and strong defense on the league’s best team give him the nod over the field.
- Kia Rookie of the Year = Kon Knueppel: Knueppel was a difference-maker, especially as one of the best 3-point shooters.
- NBA Coach of the Year = Joe Mazzulla: Mazzulla unlocked unexpected roster potential, making the Celtics great without star Jayson Tatum for most of the season.
- Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The Thunder were 20-7 in clutch games with him on the court, and he averaged 6.5 points and shot 51.5% from the field in those contests.
- Kia Most Improved Player = Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Yes, he received more minutes, which helps explain his twofold increase in points per game. But more minutes meant more responsibility and more attention, and he responded.
- Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Victor Wembanyama: He’s a defensive force, and even though his presence keeps teams out of the paint, he still led the league in blocks (3.1 per game) and helped the Spurs to the third-best defense.
- Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Keldon Johnson: He thrived in a prominent reserve role, averaging 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds and shooting 51.9% from the field in 23.3 minutes per game.
