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<\/a><\/p>\nVan: Looks like I\u2019m going against the grain here! Truthfully, Gilgeous-Alexander is the league\u2019s best player right now, and all arguments for him are worthy. And the Thunder are world-beaters with him on the floor. But here\u2019s the thing\u2014they\u2019re still damn good when he rests, which is not his fault; they\u2019re an amazing team! But the Spurs were quite meh in the 2,081 minutes that Wemby sat, and when he played, they were just as good as the Thunder. That, plus the larger defensive impact (see next section), gives the big Frenchman my vote over the Canadian. I\u2019ll explain Brown once we get to All-NBA.<\/p>\n
Zac: An otherworldly offensive player who also contributes to one of the best defences of all time and led his team to the best record in the league (again)? Yeah, this one was pretty easy. SGA is just on another plane right now. You know what he\u2019s going to do, but he does it anyway. Oh, and when the game is on the line, he\u2019s the one you want, averaging the most points per game in clutch time (6.5)\u2014nearly a full point per game more than second-place Anthony Edwards (5.6)\u2014to go along with the best plus\/minus (+3.4). How could it be anyone else?<\/p>\n
Jack: SGA is an excellent two-way player who was, quite clearly, the deserving MVP when you account for individual and team success. Wemby will get his soon enough, but it wasn\u2019t his time just yet.<\/p>\n
Finn: SGA was the best player in the world during the 2025-26 season. His consistency was unmatched, and his floor impact was as high as anybody\u2019s. He shot 55.3% from the field as a guard while averaging 30+ points for the fourth straight year. Wemby is gonna win at least three MVPs in the next five years (assuming health), but we\u2019re still in the Shai \u201cera\u201d for now.<\/p>\n
Deolu: The evidence is pretty overwhelming for Shai over Wembanyama. Not only is he the main offensive factor, a notable defensive presence, and all-around the best player on the best team, but he\u2019s also been scoring at historic rates. Not only is he totaling around 127 games straight with 20 points scored as a slender guard, but he leads the league in win shares and VORP (value over replacement player). His efficiency and pure scoring prowess make his season definitively MVP-caliber.<\/p>\n
Defensive Player of the Year<\/p>\n
Van: Is there any doubt who this should be? Voters agreed, as he was the unanimous selection last night. San Antonio was equivalent to the league\u2019s best statistical defense when he played, and equivalent to the Dallas Mavericks when he didn\u2019t. That\u2019s an impact he didn\u2019t have as a rookie, or even last year, when he was ineligible for this award. Second and third were more interesting selections that I\u2019ll go into when we hit the All-Defensive teams.<\/p>\n Zac: If MVP was easy, then DPOY was a no-brainer. The only thing that could have stopped Wembanyama from winning this award was the right-intentions-wrong-result 65-game rule. Of course, he checked that box, dropping a casual 40, 13, five, one, and two in a blowout win against the Dallas Mavericks. You can pencil Wemby in for the foreseeable future\u2014he\u2019s that good of a defender.<\/p>\n Jack: Agree with everything Zac said. It truly feels like Wemby could dominate this award going forward, and the only factors that might stop him from winning it every season would be health and voter fatigue. Ridiculous defensive player whose bona fides are backed up by the eye test even more than the box score.<\/p>\n Finn: One stat sums this up: every single team in the NBA this year had an effective field goal percentage of at least 52%. When Victor Wembanyama was on the floor, though, Spurs opponents posted a sub-50% eFG%.<\/p>\n Deolu: You-know-who led the league in blocks for the third straight year and posted a steal per game. Interestingly enough, here is Ausar Thompson\u2019s widespread inclusion on four of five ballots as the only guard; he has almost single-handedly made Detroit\u2019s defense elite and has helped define their Bad Boys 2.0 playstyle.<\/p>\n Van: Every year, my choice comes down to who had the most consequential\u2014and therefore biggest\u2014leap. For that reason, I\u2019m deviating from Bucks partisanship by leaving Rollins out, and I think the real voters made the correct call doing so too. To be clear, he made a giant leap this season, from fringe rotation player (on a two-way deal for most of last year, even) to quality starter, if on a bad team. To me, that\u2019s not anywhere near the leap the other guys made. Duren was a quality starter on a playoff team and had some big-time statistical gains when you average them out per-36. NAW equaled Rollins\u2019 scoring jump and surpassed it on that same per-36 basis, so I thought real hard about giving this to him. But ultimately, Avdija went from\u2014once again\u2014quality starter (on a non-playoff team) to All-NBA candidate and leading scorer on a playoff team, maintaining his efficiency in a bigger role. His statistical gains this year compared to last year surpassed those of last year to two years ago, so 2025\u201326 was more of an Avdija breakout. His is the biggest and most consequential leap any NBA player made this season. Rollins could follow this arc and go from quality starter to All-Star next year, and if he does, he\u2019ll have my MIP vote.<\/p>\n Zac: Call me a homer, but I can\u2019t go past our very own Ryan Rollins. He went from being a \u201ccan he play some meaningful minutes?\u201d guy to \u201cthis dude might make an All-Star team!\u201d in half a season. He played 47% of his career games this season; 71% of his career minutes. That leap is just absurd. Now he\u2019s just as likely to get 30+ (three times) as he is to have nine or fewer points (four times). And he plays both ends. And he shoots 41% from three. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Deni Avdija are worthy recipients too, but for Rollins to not even be a finalist is criminal (sorry, Jalen).<\/p>\n Jack: The MIP award is always somewhat tough to predict because of the different interpretations people can have. For me, Ryan Rollins embodies everything this award should be about, going from a two-way contract to potentially a long-time starter in this league (and possibly an All-Star too). These other guys were somewhat known commodities (not to say we expected this out of NAW). To me, Deni \u201cbroke out\u201d last season.<\/p>\n Finn: Our guy Ryan jumped from a decent-at-best rotation player to a good starter with star potential. He posted career-highs in all five major categories while maintaining strong efficiency (52.3% from two, 40.6% from three) despite taking more shots and facing more defensive pressure than ever before. Homer pick? Sorta kinda. Deserving pick? Absolutely. Shoutout Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who will likely be the real winner and made an ascension with the Hawks that nobody expected.<\/p>\n Deolu: I\u2019ll be the odd man out and pick Alexander-Walker here. Alexander-Walker went from a backup wing on a fringe contender in Minnesota to arguably The Man for one of the league\u2019s hottest teams. The 11.4-point jump, along with career highs in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, plus notable boosts in efficiency, show genuine growth outside of usage. Also, shoutout to C\u2019s center Neemias Queta. Queta was a fringe starter, barely managing 14 minutes a game last year. Now he is the centerpiece of Boston\u2019s imposing defense and has posted career highs in virtually everything worth counting.<\/p>\n Van: Milwaukee\u2019s own Knueppel was the better player from start to finish this year. It wasn\u2019t Flagg\u2019s fault that he was miscast for a time thanks to Jason Kidd running the offense through him, which affected his production a bit, and it\u2019s not as though he had a significantly worse season than his former Duke teammate. The huge efficiency gap, plus the fact that Knueppel was putting those numbers up on a play-in team as opposed to a 26-win squad, makes this an easy call.<\/p>\n Zac: Cooper Flagg will likely end up being the better player down the road, but this year you can\u2019t go past Kon Knueppel. In addition to leading the league in three-pointers made, he was part of some of the best five-man lineups in the league, leading the Hornets to postseason (if not playoff) action. In some ways, this reminds me of the LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony ROY debate. The NBA got that wrong\u2014it should have at least been a tie\u2014but now they have a shot at redemption.<\/p>\n Jack: Really tough one. As Finn says, we are not meant to consider Kon\u2019s play-in performance. I just think Kon impacted winning and was a key part of one of the best stories in the NBA this season. Flagg struggled somewhat early, then really hit his stride in the final third of the season, but the Mavs were not playing competitive basketball during that stretch, so I rewarded winning. I still think Flagg has a better career.<\/p>\n Finn: This was the toughest pick to make, and honestly, after Knueppel\u2019s showing in the play-in, I don\u2019t feel good about my decision. But it\u2019s a regular-season award, and the young Hornet did things we\u2019ve never seen before from a rookie, including leading the entire NBA in three-pointers made. No matter which way you shake it, he and Flagg both had special freshman campaigns.<\/p>\n Deolu: Knueppel\u2019s season ended with a whimper in the play-in, but it shouldn\u2019t erase the legendary rookie season he had. Knueppel\u2019s worth extends farther than his league-leading three-point shooting: his all-around scoring (18.6 PPG) on 64% true shooting has pushed the Hornets from the bottom of the barrel to a spooky team. The race is closer than our ballots make it seem, but Kon narrowly gets the edge in my mock ballot.<\/p>\n Clutch Player of the Year<\/p>\n Van: Like I said last year, I still really don\u2019t know how to determine who wins this one. And like last year, I just looked up who had the best scoring and shooting numbers in clutch situations. Murray\u2019s were better in some ways than Ant\u2019s and SGA\u2019s, but he was sharing the clutch responsibilities with Jokic, unlike the other two, who were their team\u2019s \u201cguys.\u201d Also, note to the NBA: keep track of game-winning field goals! Especially buzzer beaters!<\/p>\n Zac: I\u2019ll reiterate what I said in my MVP paragraph: SGA is the one you want with the game on the line, averaging the most points per game in clutch time (6.5)\u2014nearly a full point per game more than second-place Anthony Edwards (5.6)\u2014to go along with the best plus\/minus (+3.4). But it goes beyond this. As a guard, the ball is going to be in his hands, and if he doesn\u2019t stick a dagger in your eye from the field, he\u2019ll make it a slow, painful death from the free-throw line (where he\u2019s the only player to average over two made free throws per game in the clutch).<\/p>\n Jack: As others have noted, this award feels gimmicky, but I guess I\u2019ll go with SGA. He hit a tonne of clutch shots this season. He\u2019s just got that quality where he never seems flustered; always in complete control under any circumstance. I thought Cade and Ant also deserve praise for what they did late in games this year.<\/p>\n Finn: For whatever reason, I can\u2019t bring myself to seriously care about this award, so I didn\u2019t put too much thought into it. Shai had the most memorable clutch moments, in my opinion, and the stats back up the selection. Ant hit that unbelievable turnaround OT-forcing triple on Christmas. McCollum had his fair share of late-game heroics for both the Wizards and the Hawks, including a game-winner against the Bucks.<\/p>\n Deolu: This rivalry game-winner<\/a> says enough about Shai for CPOY. Kawhi Leonard sneaks his way onto my ballot for his three-game winners, including one<\/a> in the NBA Cup against the Pels. His leadership as the star player and lead vet to steer the Clips from 6-21 to the play-in is also pretty clutch.<\/p>\n Van: Seems like there was no clear-cut favorite for this award this year, but I like what Johnson did the most: a more well-rounded scorer than Hardaway, and more helpful than jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none Jaquez. Plus, the edge in team success. It was tempting to reward THJ for his career-best season from the field, though.<\/p>\n Zac: This debate seemingly comes down to preference: Jaime Jaquez Jr. vs. Keldon Johnson. Both are deserving candidates, but it\u2019s Jaquez\u2019s leap as a playmaker that gives him the edge for me. I also can\u2019t ignore the fact that Johnson put up nearly identical numbers to last season (albeit slightly more efficiently), when he didn\u2019t receive a single 6MOY vote. Shout-out to Bobby Portis too, who had another strong year despite the Bucks\u2019 chaos\u2014and should already have at least one of these awards.<\/p>\n Jack: Keldon was a major key to the Spurs\u2019 success this year. He was truly all-in on winning and improved the areas of his game that needed work to play that role. I also thought Naz Reid had a strong year off the bench.<\/p>\n Finn: Big Body Keldon Johnson was the heart and soul of the Spurs this year as they established their dominance. He sacrificed usage in favor of impact and changed game after game for San Antonio with his energy off the pine.<\/p>\n Deolu: Jaquez averaged 15 points, five rebounds, and 4.7 assists off the bench on 57% true shooting. His offensive firepower helped Miami\u2019s bench score 43.8 PPG (fourth in the league), and he leads Johnson in points, assists, and stocks. Without Jaquez on the bench, the Heat would be a shell of themselves. I\u2019m not sure if I can say the same for Johnson.<\/p>\n Van: Usually, I base this vote on year-to-year improvement by incumbents, which is why Johnson (28 additional wins) and Lee (25) are on my ballot. Apologies to Darko Rajakovic (16) and Jordan Ott (nine), who mainly benefited from a healthier roster in the former\u2019s case and a revamped roster in the latter\u2019s. Bickerstaff got my vote last year because going from historically bad to playoff team (2024 to 2025) is crazy and more unprecedented than six-seed to 60 wins (2025 to 2026). But I can\u2019t deny the gigantic smashing of expectations Mazzulla did with \u201cgap year\u201d Boston.<\/p>\n Zac: Look, Joe Mazzulla will probably win this award, and I have absolutely no issue with that\u2014what he\u2019s done with the Celtics sans Jayson Tatum et al. has been phenomenal and something no one saw coming. But I can\u2019t ignore J.B. Bickerstaff\u2019s efforts either. To go from lottery team to playoff team is one thing. To go from playoff team to 60 wins and the number one seed is another, especially when you lead your team to a 13-5 record without its best player.<\/p>\n Jack: This one was pretty easy for me. Mazzulla has done an unbelievable job turning a team that many thought was heading for a Pacers-esque gap year into a legit title contender. The way this dude has turned other teams\u2019 trash into the Celtics\u2019 treasure is truly astounding. Special shoutouts to Lee and Ott for how they transformed their teams from the previous season\u2019s results.<\/p>\n Finn: Mazzulla is a basketball sicko and genius. The system he\u2019s built in Boston is the reason why they were so good this year. Every single guy on the roster knows their role. The team plays the same way regardless of who\u2019s in the lineup, and it always works. Joe, in my mind, is the real MVP candidate for Boston, not Jaylen Brown.<\/p>\n Deolu: It turns out they weren\u2019t 2-26 bad.<\/a> Bickerstaff\u2019s has seen the Pistons jump 16 wins to a first seed and their first 60-win season in two decades, a whiplash-inducing turnaround. Additionally, Bickerstaff\u2019s aggressive personality and coaching style have seen Detroit become arguably the best defensive unit in the league, with two potential All-NBA players (Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren) leading the charge.<\/p>\n Van: My rationale here often follows what I employ for Coach of the Year, but in this case, I have to go with Gregory despite leaving Ott off above. The first-year Suns GM completely revamped a flawed roster without a big cupboard of assets (sounds like something the Bucks could do). Peterson didn\u2019t make any huge moves free agency or trade-wise, he just drafted well and benefited from better health\u2014the Hornets weren\u2019t too different. Same with Saleh\u2019s Hawks, though he too made some savvy moves.<\/p>\n Zac: Deolu beat me to the point (see below). Peterson seemed to hit on every decision he made, but drafting three guys\u2014including two second-round picks\u2014who are a core part of a winning rotation stands out.<\/p>\n Jack: Peterson utilised the draft, trades, and free agency to completely transform a team that was a bottom-feeder just one year ago. Brilliant work. The Coby White trade, in particular, was a master stroke. Onsi Saleh gets in there solely off his trade with the Pels to get their first-rounder this year, LOL.<\/p>\n Finn: If you ask Mazzulla how the Celtics have achieved the role definition and connectivity I just gushed about (as I did when Boston visited Milwaukee on April 3rd), he\u2019ll first credit the players, but then he\u2019ll credit the front office. Brad Stevens sniffed out the players that fit the Boston ethos, allowing them to remain one of basketball\u2019s best teams despite being forced to trade Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis over the summer.<\/p>\n Deolu: The Hornets had the best turnaround this season. Through Jeff Peterson\u2019s savvy draft picks (Kneuppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sion James), trades (Coby White for Collin Sexton), and hiring (second-year head coach Lee), the Hornets went from a sub-20 win team to a ninth seed in the East with aspirations of further growth.<\/p>\n Van: Here\u2019s where I talk about Jaylen Brown. All of us had him on our first team before the Doncic and Cunningham announcement. I had to put the NBA\u2019s leading scorer (Luka) among the top five, but quite simply, Brown had a better year than Cunningham. A slight edge in efficiency and a larger one defensively outweighs Cunningham\u2019s superiority as a passer, and Brown was certainly the more prolific scorer. The Celtics had only four fewer victories too. Shout out to Murray for a ridiculously good year that would have put him second team had it not been for the 65-game rule shenanigans, to Holmgren for the best two-way year outside of Wemby, and Wisconsin native Johnson for all-around offensive prowess.<\/p>\n Zac: The Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham \u201cextraordinary circumstances\u201d rulings changed my picks\u2014initially, I had Jaylen Brown and Jaylen Brunson in my first team\u2014but that\u2019s another discussion in and of itself. I also continue to dislike the \u201cpositionless\u201d nature of these teams, which leads them to be a list of the season\u2019s 15 best players rather than realistic teams. All this said, I was higher on Avdija than most, who put up similar (if not better) stats than Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, leading the Blazers to a better-than-expected record, while the Clippers and Rockets underwhelmed relative to expectations.<\/p>\n Jack: The first team drama re: Luka and Cade was addressed by others. If I were to single one guy out who really had an underrated year, it\u2019d be LaMelo Ball. No longer is he this bit player that people make fun of; he is now a legit point guard who drives winning at a high level. The season that Kawhi put together was otherworldly, and I wanted to put him on the second team because of that.<\/p>\n Finn: Once Luka and Cade were approved, they were no-brainer first-team additions. Before that, I had Kawhi on my first team, who just had the best individual regular season of his Hall of Fame career. I made no real zag picks here\u2014 I thought LaMelo would be one, but Jack and Deolu made me look smarter, haha.<\/p>\n Deolu: The first five players are pretty much set in stone, but Jaylen Brown is pretty unlucky to miss out on a first-team nod. His career highs of 28.7 PPG, almost seven RPG, and just over five APG helped Boston avoid the injury slump. His stats aren\u2019t quite good enough to hang with the likes of Shai, Wemby, Luka, and Jokic, but Jaylen Brown\u2019s 60-or-so games as the number-one option on the C\u2019s put him in a very real conversation with Cunningham for the final slot.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n