Morry Gash / Associated Press
The NBA has officially announced the finalists for each of its 2018-20 season regular season awards, highlighted by Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and James Harden in the MVP race.
The league declared that the boiling games in Florida would not participate in the awards races, so only what happened through March 11 will be considered.
Antetokounmpo has been the favorite to apparently win his second straight MVP since the season began, but James made a late push before the show was stopped.
Here are the finalists for each of the grand prizes.
NBA MVP finalists
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
- LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
- James Harden (Houston Rockets
NBA Rookie of the Year finalists
- Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)
- Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Kendrick Nunn (Miami Heat)
NBA Finals sixth man of the year
- Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Clippers)
- Dennis Schroder (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Lou Williams (Los Angeles Clippers)
NBA Most Improved Player Finalists
- Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
- Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
NBA Coach of the Year finalists
- Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors)
- Billy Donovan (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Mike Budenholzer (Milwaukee Bucks)
The most fascinating race could be the Coach of the Year battle.
The National Basketball Coaches Association voted Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks and Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder as winners, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Nick Rurse of the Toronto Raptors was one vote short of making it a three-way. tie to make.
Antetokounmpo’s demand to become the first back-to-back MVP winner since Stephen Curry (2014-15, 2015-16) seems like a safe bet. He averaged 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists in his 57 games are considered.
In addition to those traditional counting statistics, Antetokounmpo’s defensive contributions are instrumental to Milwaukee’s success. He is also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. His 32.04 player performance rating in 2019-20 is the highest total of one season ever followed by Basketball Reference.
No player has won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94.
James will try to destroy Antetokounmpo’s MVP party by winning the prize for the fifth time. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has not won the award since the 2012-13 season. He led the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference this year and is averaging a career-high 10.3 assists per game.
Harden could join Moses Malone as the only Houston Rockets player to win multiple MVP awards if he pulls an uprising in the mood. The Beard leads the NBA in scoring for the third straight season (34.3 points per game), in addition to averaging 7.5 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Rookie of the Year seems to be losing Ja Morant’s, though Kendrick Nunn has been a vital part of the Miami Heat’s success in the Eastern Conference. Nunn ranks fourth on the team in scoring (15.2 points per game) and shoots 35.6 percent from three-point range.
Zion Williamson is expected to become the biggest star in this year’s rookie class. The stand-out of the New Orleans Pelicans offers a look at what his future could look like, leading all first-year players with 22.4 points per game.
Unfortunately for Williamson, his resume for hiatus consists of only 19 games due to a torn meniscus that will keep him out of action until Jan. 22.
Morant was drafted into the centerpiece of the Memphis Grizzlies’ next successful era. The 20-year-old wasted no time in making a positive impact, averaging 17.8 points and 7.1 assists per game and placing a 48.1 shooting percentage.
The Grizzlies are the no. 8 seed in the Western Conference, thanks in large part to Morant’s scoring and playing skills.
While the NBA has not set a date for the award ceremony, an official release of the league on July 21 stated that TNT will announce the award winners during their postseason coverage.
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