I saw this.
And here are my predictions.
CLUTCH PLAYER | SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER - OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER | TYRESE MAXEY - PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR | NAZ REID - MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
COACH OF THE YEAR | MIKE DAIGNEAULT - OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR | VICTOR WEMBANYAMA - SAN ANTONIO SPURS
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR | VICTOR WEMBANYAMA - SAN ANTONIO SPURS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER | LUKA DONCIC - DALLAS MAVERICKS
Luka Doncic has to win one MVP in his career and not to disparage the awesomeness of SGA, but he can still win the Clutch Player award. I mean, it's a feat in itself that OKC is on top of the Western Conference, despite the initial notion of the team as a draft pick dump. If SGA can break into the MVP finals race next season, then he deserves the accolade. Meanwhile, Luka is the middle-ground pick for this season. Will the NBA make Nikola Jokic a three-time MVP, or will they award it to SGA, with Oklahoma City being a young playoff squad that may or may not succumb to the spotlight as the playoffs roll? While I guess the same can be said with Luka and the Dallas Mavericks, again, Luka has been MVP-hunting for some time now.
As for Wemby, they need to make something special about his unicorn-ness. I believe the Rookie of the Year award is a lock for him, especially with most folks iffy at the idea that despite there have been past instances of a player winning the Rookie of the Year award during his sophomore year because of injury (David Robinson, Blake Griffin, and Ben Simmons are examples.) With this in mind, the NBA needs to create the notion that Wemby is a generational talent on their record books.
What better way for the NBA to make Wembanyama extremely special than by making him the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year award in the same season?