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NBA Awards Watch Predictions For 2016-17

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) tries to get past Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) tries to get past Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, here’s a look at the top candidates to win each award, including Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP.

NBA
Oct 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) tries to get past Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

After months of waiting, the NBA is finally back! With professional basketball returning Tuesday night in a three-game docket, all those summer weeks of NBA draft talk, free agency rumblings, Summer League overreactions, preseason storylines and offseason predictions are finally ready to give way to actual NBA basketball.

Before Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks tips off the new season, however, we might as well squeeze every last ounce of speculation out of the waning hours of the offseason with some NBA Awards predictions!

Heading into the 2016-17 campaign, there are plenty of deserving candidates for the NBA’s major awards, which include Executive of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, and of course, the highly coveted Most Value Player Award.

The question is, where do those candidates all stack up against each other for these awards?

Can anyone unseat Bob Myers and Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors for the front office awards? Will Kawhi Leonard three-peat as Defensive Player of the Year? Who fills the void left by Ben Simmons in the Rookie of the Year race? And can Russell Westbrook or James Harden put up big enough numbers to throw their names into the MVP conversation?

Related Story: 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Week 1

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been taking a look at the top 10 candidates for each major NBA Award, but we’ve gathered them all in one place for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to check out our picks for the 2016-17 season and browse through each top 10!