We have reached the halfway point of the NBA season, making it the perfect time to touch base with all the NBA awards races. Last month, after the first 20 games of the season, we checked in with each race, and now there has certainly been some movement.
At each of the quarter poles, we will be looking at the races for the six major awards – Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and MVP.
2022 NBA Awards Watch: The official halfway-point ballot
For each award, we will look at our current pick, as well as two runners up to mirror the way the finalists are announced by the NBA.
Where do the races for each of the NBA awards stand at the halfway point? We check in on the top three candidates for each of the major six awards to see where they stand.
Most of the change has come with the runners-up for each of the awards, with half of the current winners being the same as they were at the quarter mark.
However, plenty of new entries find themselves on the ballot now. This is further proof of just how volatile the awards races are. At the quarter pole, the Washington Wizards were one of the hottest teams in the league and the NBA had not yet been ravaged by health and safety protocols. Projecting what is yet to come is quite the challenge indeed.
Let’s get started.