Before the 2017-18 NBA season begins, it’s time to make some preseason predictions for every major award in the league.
NBA awards season is unlike any other in the major professional sports leagues, mostly because there are so many vibrant and diverse awards that are handed out at the end of the year.
From the Sixth Man of the Year Award to Defensive Player of the Year to MVP, NBA awards seem to be debated over more than any other sport. Maybe it’s because of the talent and personalities at work, maybe it’s because of the public voting process, or maybe it’s because NBA Twitter simply loves to obsess over this stuff.
But no matter the case, the 2017-18 season is rapidly approaching, which means it’s time for HoopsHabit to start obsessing as well. We don’t have a single game to base any predictions off of yet, but that didn’t stop myself and 25 other writers on staff from giving our forecasts for every major award in the upcoming season.
We’ve already gone through each individual award with top 10 candidates for each, which will be included with every slide in case you want to dig deeper on each race. But for now, it’s time to make some final picks and see which players were voted as the favorites for each one among the HoopsHabit staff.
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So without further ado, here are the picks — both mine and the crowd vote — for 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 MVP.
Coach of the Year
Bourguet pick: Tom Thibodeau
HoopsHabit pick: Tom Thibodeau
As Jimmy Butler reunites with his old Chicago Bulls coach and joins the Minnesota Timberwolves, the people seem to agree: Tom Thibodeau is one of the early frontrunners for the 2017-18 Coach of the Year Award.
After winning only 31 games and finishing 13th in the conference standings last year, it’s safe to say Thibs’ first season at the helm didn’t go according to plan. But with Butler joining Andrew Wiggins on the wing, plus another year of development for Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus the arrivals of Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford, the Wolves could conceivably win 50 games and chase a top-four seed in the West.
Thibs earned eight of our staff’s 26 votes, which doubled the next-closest candidate, Steve Kerr (four). The problem with Kerr’s candidacy is over the last three years, his Golden State Warriors have averaged 70 wins. With Kevin Durant, they simply have more talent than anyone, and even if Kerr instituted the culture and winning environment for the Dubs, at this point, this well-oiled machine could probably drive itself no matter who was at the wheel.
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The Boston Celtics are one team looking to make some noise in the East, which is why Brad Stevens finishes third with three votes. Having already established himself as one of the league’s most brilliant young minds, a finish at the top of the East — this time with an almost entirely new roster — would certainly put him in the running for COY.
Gregg Popovich is always an option in this category and earned two votes. Some are high on a breakout season for the Milwaukee Bucks, with Jason Kidd receiving two votes. The same could be said of the Denver Nuggets, which is probably why Michael Malone got two votes too. Scott Brooks rounds out the list of coaches tied for fourth place with two votes of his own.
Billy Donovan, Steve Clifford and Erik Spoelstra each received one vote, but surprisingly, no one voted for the reigning Coach of the Year, Mike D’Antoni.
Rookie of the Year
Bourguet pick: Lonzo Ball
HoopsHabit pick: Lonzo Ball/Dennis Smith Jr.
HoopsHabit’s Rookie of the Year voting came down to a tie between two of the three consensus favorites: Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dennis Smith Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks.
Ball and DSJ each received eight votes, and it’s no surprise to see two of the most electrifying point guards from this year’s draft class top the list, especially since both will be starting for their respective teams from day one.
On my ballot, Ball gets the slightest of edges for his playmaking, triple-double friendly skill-set and his performance in NBA Summer League that earned him MVP honors. With Smith officially confirmed as the starter, however, he has the chance to put up similarly impressive numbers for a potentially more competitive team.
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Ben Simmons came in third with six votes. He’s something of a forgotten candidate after sitting out the entire 2016-17 season due to injury. Now that he’s healthy, however, he has the tools to be an elite playmaker for a Philadelphia 76ers team on the rise. Who doesn’t want to revel in nightly highlights from a 6’10” power forward with a point guard’s skill-set?
Rounding out the Rookie of the Year candidates were Markelle Fultz and De’Aaron Fox with two votes apiece. That seems low for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, but Simmons and Joel Embiid will probably steal some of his thunder. And though Fox is an impressive candidate in his own right, he doesn’t quite stack up since he didn’t even start in the Sacramento Kings‘ first preseason game and still needs to learn how to shoot.
Sixth Man of the Year
Bourguet pick: Eric Gordon
HoopsHabit pick: Eric Gordon/Lou Williams
If the list of top 10 candidates for the Sixth Man of the Year Award wasn’t a clear enough indication that this race is wide open, the final tallies from the HoopsHabit voters all but confirm it, with a total of 14 different players receiving votes.
Former Houston Rockets teammates Eric Gordon and Lou Williams tied for first place with only four votes apiece. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year gets the nod as the favorite, simply because his role will be the exact same despite his team getting even better with the arrivals of Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute.
Lou Will will have the chance to light it up off the bench for the Los Angeles Clippers and is coming off a career year, but he’ll also be sharing minutes in the backcourt with Patrick Beverley, Milos Teodosic and Austin Rivers.
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Andre Iguodala, who really should have won a Sixth Man of the Year Award at some point over the last three years, finishes third with three votes. Unfortunately, with Patrick McCaw‘s growth and the Golden State Warriors needing Iggy for the playoffs, his minutes and numbers will be limited.
J.R. Smith, Will Barton, Enes Kanter and the undying Sixth Man candidate, Jamal Crawford, each received two votes. Smith may or may not come off the bench behind Dwyane Wade, Barton never really lived up to the Sixth Man of the Year hype last season, Kanter’s defense and a crowded New York Knicks frontcourt may limit him in this race and no offense to Crawford, but he’s no longer efficient enough to be a throwaway/default option for voters.
Tyler Johnson, Marcus Smart, Dario Saric, Norman Powell, Cody Zeller, Rudy Gay and Jahlil Okafor all received one vote apiece, but in such a wide open race, we give the edge to the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year
Bourguet pick: Rudy Gobert
HoopsHabit pick: Draymond Green
If the Defensive Player of the Year Award felt like a three-man contest last year, it’s not surprising to see those same three candidates dominate the preseason predictions again in 2017-18. Of the 26 votes, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert and Kawhi Leonard combined for 25 of them.
The lone straggler, Anthony Davis, finished a distant fourth in our top 10 candidates for DPOY, and could be a dark horse if he becomes a defensive terror for a top-five New Orleans Pelicans defense. Still, this is probably going to come down to one of the three most elite defenders the NBA has to offer right now.
The reigning DPOY, Draymond Green, earned 11 votes among the HoopsHabit staff, and he’ll probably be just as deserving this season as he was last year (and in 2014-15, when he earned more first place votes but finished second overall because he was inexplicably left off several ballots).
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Green is the most versatile defender in the NBA, and he’s the reason the Golden State Warriors are such a hard defense to score on. As the best defender of quite possibly the NBA’s best defense, Green will get plenty of votes again in 2017-18.
However, Rudy Gobert had a strong case last season, and in a league where voters are usually a season behind in awards voting, the league’s leading shot-blocker could very easily dominate this category if he anchors another top-five defense in the Utah Jazz‘s first season without Gordon Hayward. Gobert earned eight votes, while two-time DPOY winner Kawhi Leonard received six.
Gobert is my prediction because he could lead the NBA in blocks again, lead the Jazz to a playoff spot with stellar defensive play and benefit from voter fatigue with both Draymond and Kawhi. However, the San Antonio Spurs stalwart can’t be excluded either, even if his team was statistically better on that end with him on the bench.
Most Improved Player of the Year
Bourguet pick: Nikola Jokic
HoopsHabit pick: D’Angelo Russell
Like the Sixth Man of the Year race, it’s hard to peg who will emerge with the 2017-18 Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a fairly predictable winner even before last year began, but there are tons of young players ready to make the leap this season.
My personal pick, Nikola Jokic, actually finished second in NBA voting for MIP last season, so he may have already been too good last season to be a serious candidate this year. However, he can still build on his 16.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, especially if he leads the Denver Nuggets back to the playoffs. Jokic only received two votes from the HoopsHabit staff, tying Brandon Ingram for fourth place.
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The lead vote-getter, D’Angelo Russell, is undoubtedly heading for a breakout season with the Brooklyn Nets as he plays with a gigantic chip on his shoulder. However, even as he puts up career numbers, the question remains whether his team will win enough to bolster his MIP case. Russell received six votes to lead the pack.
Kristaps Porzingis, another quality candidate, came in second with four votes. Now that Carmelo Anthony is gone, he’s almost certain to put up big offensive numbers as the New York Knicks‘ No. 1 option.
The same could be said for Myles Turner, who will also become his team’s No. 1 option in just his third season after the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George away. Turner came in third with three votes.
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Ingram, who tied Jokic for fourth with two votes, is looking for a breakout year after an underwhelming rookie season. However, even with Lonzo Ball ready to make his life easier, it’s tough to say Ingram is ready to make that kind of massive leap for the Los Angeles Lakers at age 20.
Rodney Hood, Gary Harris, Norman Powell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tim Hardaway Jr., Julius Randle, Jonathon Simmons, Otto Porter Jr. and Reggie Jackson all received one vote each.
Hood could be a great candidate with Gordon Hayward gone. Harris is another good one, but will be limited on a team with Jokic, Paul Millsap and Jamal Murray. Powell is a player on the rise who might not get the necessary starting role.
Barring a jump into the MVP conversation, KAT may already be too good to qualify in this category. Hardaway should put up great numbers in the Big Apple, but they could be empty ones on a losing team. Randle is underrated, but the Lakers have two or three better MIP candidates on their roster.
Simmons might not start for the Orlando Magic, Porter may have made his biggest leap last year and Jackson feels more like a bounce-back candidate than a Most Improved Player candidate.
MVP
Bourguet pick: Kevin Durant
HoopsHabit pick: Kevin Durant/Kawhi Leonard
Everyone knows who the MVP candidates will be in 2017-18, but once you get down to the top six or seven of them, it becomes nearly impossible to predict this early on.
To be perfectly honest, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and even a dark horse like Giannis Antetokounmpo all have reasonable claims to preseason MVP hype.
Curry remains perhaps the most important player for the Golden State Warriors and found himself again when KD missed 20 games. Harden has supplied two of the greatest non-MVP seasons in NBA history over the last three years. Giannis Antetokounmpo could be ready to devour worlds soon, which could singlehandedly propel the Milwaukee Bucks to prominence.
Kawhi Leonard remains a strong two-way candidate, despite his San Antonio Spurs not getting much better this summer. Russell Westbrook just averaged a triple-double and could do it again, only this time for an even better Oklahoma City Thunder team.
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LeBron James is at his best when the cards are stacked against him, which is why he could very easily carry the Cleveland Cavaliers in their time without Isaiah Thomas. And Kevin Durant, fresh off his first title and Finals MVP Award, completed the first step in snatching the title of “NBA alpha dog” away from LeBron when he drilled that dagger 3-pointer over the King in Game 3 of the championship series.
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All of these candidates could put together MVP-caliber seasons, but if we’re making preseason predictions, the momentum Durant built for himself in last year’s Finals is too strong to ignore. He got over the hump, he finally bested LeBron, he put up absurd numbers head-to-head and he’s only going to get better now that he’s comfortable with his superstar teammates.
Who cares if his teammates are unfair? That context still matters, because Kevin Durant on this Warriors team is more lethal than any other player on any other team.
The Dubs won 67 games with KD missing 20 of them last year. If Durant stays healthy, slightly increases his efficiency, boosts his scoring numbers a bit and remains a long-limbed terror on the defensive end, it’ll be hard to debate him winning MVP as the best player of a 70-win team.
After all, LeBron relatively coasts through regular seasons now, Giannis’ team might not win enough games, and Paul George and Carmelo Anthony may detract from the attention being paid to Russ. Even on a more dangerous Houston Rockets team, Chris Paul could similarly steal some of Harden’s production, Curry may wind up deferring to KD on the stat sheet and Kawhi still needs better numbers across the board to emerge triumphant.
KD and Leonard were tied for first among our HoopsHabit staff with eight votes apiece. LeBron followed them up with six votes, while Westbrook, Harden, Giannis and Kyrie Irving all received one vote.
Final vote tallies
Here’s a look at how each one of our 26 writers voted for each major award:
Gerald Bourguet, Editor-in-Chief/Suns beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Nikola Jokic
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Joshua Cornelissen, Bucks beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Norman Powell
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Reggie Jackson
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Eric Snyder, Knicks beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Erik Spoelstra
- Rookie of the Year: De’Aaron Fox
- Sixth Man of the Year: Enes Kanter
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Tim Hardaway Jr.
- MVP: Kyrie Irving
Angelo Mendoza, Blazers beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Will Barton
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: D’Angelo Russell
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Simon Smith, 76ers/Heat beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
- Sixth Man of the Year: Tyler Johnson
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard
- Most Improved Player of the Year: D’Angelo Russell
- MVP: LeBron James
Eric Spyropoulos, Rockets beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Michael Malone
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
- Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Gary Harris
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Greg Cassoli, Grizzlies beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens
- Rookie of the Year: Markelle Fultz
- Sixth Man of the Year: Andre Iguodala
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Myles Turner
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Ed Easton, Knicks beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
- Sixth Man of the Year: Enes Kanter
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: D’Angelo Russell
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Adrian Lawhorn, Pacers beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
- Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Julius Randle
- MVP: LeBron James
Brendan Galella, Hawks beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Marcus Smart
- Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Jonathon Simmons
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Gavriel Wilkins, Rockets beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Dario Saric
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: D’Angelo Russell
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Jerran Anderson, Wizards/76ers beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Otto Porter Jr.
- MVP: LeBron James
Simon Cherin-Gordon, Warriors beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: Will Barton
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Myles Turner
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Nicholas Agar-Johnson, Clippers/Nuggets beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Andre Iguodala
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Rodney Hood
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Warsame Abdi, Pelicans beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard
- Most Improved Player of the Year: D’Angelo Russell
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Michael Dugger, Lakers beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Cody Zeller
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Myles Turner
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Raymond Simms, Blazers beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: Rudy Gay
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Norman Powell
- MVP: James Harden
Karintha Styles, Pistons beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan
- Rookie of the Year: Markelle Fultz
- Sixth Man of the Year: Jahlil Okafor
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Kristaps Porzingis
- MVP: Russell Westbrook
Randy Porga, Wizards/Knicks beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: J.R. Smith
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Kristaps Porzingis
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Quentin Haynes, Lakers beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Steve Clifford
- Rookie of the Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Karl-Anthony Towns
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Christopher Kline, NBA Draft writer:
- Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
- Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Brandon Ingram
- MVP: LeBron James
Drew Zlogar, Suns beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Jason Kidd
- Rookie of the Year: De’Aaron Fox
- Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard
- Most Improved Player of the Year: D’Angelo Russell
- MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo
James Tillman, Bulls beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
- Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Kristaps Porzingis
- MVP: LeBron James
Tevin Williams, Raptors/Celtics beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: Andre Iguodala
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Kristaps Porzingis
- MVP: Kevin Durant
Jordan Treske, Kings beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Michael Malone
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Nikola Jokic
- MVP: LeBron James
Next: HoopsHabit 2017-18 NBA playoff field predictions
Kenneth Teape, Thunder beat writer:
- Coach of the Year: Jason Kidd
- Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
- Sixth Man of the Year: J.R. Smith
- Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Brandon Ingram
- MVP: Kawhi Leonard