NBA Season Championship & Award Predictions

With the NBA season now in full swing, many players and teams have both exceeded and fallen short of expectations. While players like Paolo Banchero and teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers have shined in the first few games, players like Tyrese Haliburton and teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks have not lived up to expectations.

Individual Award Predictions

With regards to the regular season MVP (most valuable player), the most sought-after award, I believe that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will take home the trophy. After falling just short and coming in second place in voting last season, Gilgeous-Alexander is out for revenge and will lead a promising young Oklahoma City Thunder team to a top seed in the Western Conference.

Many rookies from this year’s draft have shown promise throughout preseason and the beginning of the regular season. However, I think that Alexander Sarr will win the Rookie of the Year award. His defense shines as a 7 foot power forward, and he is a versatile player on both ends of the court.

I think Victor Wembanyama will be the one to win Defensive Player of the Year. Wembanyama finished second last year to veteran Rudy Gobert in his rookie season. His 254 blocks were enough to lead the league, totaling 64 more than second place on that list.His presence in the paint instills fear in any player attempting to finish at the rim.

Deuce McBride has shown immense talent coming off of the New York Knicks bench this year, and has proven that he is a viable option for Sixth Man of the Year. After dropping 22 points on the defending champion Boston Celtics on opening night, he has averaged 12.8 points throughout the first 5 games.

JJ Reddick is a great choice for Coach of the Year. After offseason skepticism of his coaching ability, he has completely turned around this Lakers squad. After the dismissal of their previous coach Darvin Ham last year, this team is gaining a new and improved name for themselves. Their offense is much smoother and they went from having some of the worst ball movement in the league to some of the best.

I think that the Most Improved Player Award will go to Brandon Miller. After a strong rookie season, I think he will make a big jump this year and become an All-Star-caliber player.

All-Star Lineups

Every year, people are always unhappy with the All-Star selections and are mad about one or two players being left off. However, here are my predictions for the All-Star rosters.

Eastern Conference Starters:

PG: Jalen Brunson

SG: Donovan Mitchell

SF: Jayson Tatum

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo

C: Bam Adebayo

Eastern Conference Reserves:

Jaylen Brown

Karl-Anthony Towns

Tyrese Haliburton

Paolo Banchero

Tyrese Maxey
Lamelo Ball

Pascal Siakam

Western Conference Starters:

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG: Luka Doncic

SF: Lebron James

PF: Anthony Davis

C: Nikola Jokic

Western Conference Reserves: 

Victor Wembanyama

Anthony Edwards

Ja Morant

Chet Holmgren

Domantas Sabonis

Devin Booker

Kevin Durant

Seeding and Playoff Predictions

I believe that the playoff seedings will be very similar to that of last season, however there will be a few changes. Here are the standings for each conference:

So far this season, The Milwaukee Bucks have looked disastrous. I think that they will fall from the 3rd seed last year all the way out of the playoffs. Their coaching staff has not done a good job this season, and the perennial MVP candidate power forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has stated that he would be open to a trade. Similarly, the Clippers lost many key players over the offseason and I think they will not make the playoffs either. However, the return of superstar Ja Morant will be crucial for The Memphis Grizzlies, as I think they will jump up to the 3rd seed after their 13th-seed season last year without Morant on the court.

I think that this year will constitute an interesting finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams have had an amazing start to the season, both currently at the top of the standings. I think that the Thunder will win, however, and I think Shai Gligeous-Alexander will win Finals MVP. He is one of the best point guards in the league, and the depth on the bench of this Thunder team will far outscore the Cavaliers bench.