Trending Topics: Picks for 2024-25 NBA award winners – NBA
2025-04-22T14:07:47Z
NBA.com’s writers reveal their picks for Kia MVP, Kia Rookie of the Year, Kia Defensive Player of the Year and more.
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Periodically, NBA.com’s writers will weigh in on key storylines or trending topics around the league.
The finalists have been revealed. Who are your picks for the 2024-25 NBA award winners?
Steve Aschburner
Eighteen of the 21 finalists spread across the seven major NBA awards were fellows I had on my ballots. Since that also includes all my No. 1 choices, this is a simple copy-and-paste exercise for me. For Kia MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got my vote over Nikola Jokić for OKC’s 68 victories over Denver’s 50 and the simple filter of “best player on best team.”
Other notes: Castle for his heavy usage once Wembanyama and Fox got hurt. Payton over Beasley for how thoroughly he embodied the sparkplug role. Brunson over the field for his points (5.6) in the clutch on 51.5% shooting and 1.8 free throws. Bickerstaff edges Atkinson due to a heavier lift in Detroit. Daniels gets Kia Defensive Player of the Year for some gaudy defensive stats and gets Kia Most Improved for boosting his contributions across the board (including more than doubling his scoring average), earning my vote — wait, two — in the season awards.
Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
= Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder Kia Rookie of the Year = Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
= Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
= Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
= Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics Kia Most Improved Player = Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
= Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
= Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks NBA Coach of the Year = J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
Brian Martin
The question of which player deserves to win the Kia MVP is simultaneously impossible to answer and get wrong.
It is impossible to answer because finding a separation between the top two candidates (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić) is mind-bending. Both have historic resumes that would run away with the MVP had they not happened in the same season. It is also impossible to get wrong because no one can fault you for a vote for Gilgeous-Alexander or Jokić. Both are astoundingly deserving.
Forced to choose, Gilgeous-Alexander is my choice for his two-way play, consistency and his team’s success.
Kia MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
= Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder Kia Rookie of the Year = Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
= Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs Kia Defensive Player of the Year = Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
= Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers Kia Sixth Man of the Year = Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons
= Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons Kia Most Improved Player = Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
= Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks Kia Clutch Player of the Year = Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
= Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets NBA Coach of the Year = Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
John Schuhmann
The Coach of the Year vote was fascinating. If J.B. Bickerstaff had not coached the Cavs last season, he would be a clear favorite. The Pistons were the league’s third-most improved team on offense and its most improved team on defense, having made no major changes to the roster. The problem for Bickerstaff is that Kenny Atkinson took his old team (that made even fewer changes) and turned it into a title contender.
Naz Reid was the non-finalist who got a first-place vote here. He had better boxscore numbers than any of the other Sixth Man candidates, and the Wolves were much better with him on the floor (plus-7.4 points per 100 possessions) than with him off (plus-2.5).
Kia NBA MVP = Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
= Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder Kia NBA Rookie of the Year = Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
= Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year = Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
= Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year = Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
= Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves Kia NBA Most Improved Player = Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
= Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year = Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
= Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks NBA Coach of the Year = Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Shaun Powell
The biggest award — Kia MVP — was also the toughest to decide. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will very likely win, but anyone who believes there’s a gap between him and Nikola Jokić is kidding themselves. Speaking of gaps, the cushion between OKC and the pack in the West is why Gilgeous-Alexander should win.
As for the other awards, Daniels was up for the Kia Defensive and Most Improved awards, and, often in these situations, the candidate winds up with neither because voters split their vote. He gets the defensive on my list. Ivica Zubac is the true definition of most improved, a player who suddenly soars after several years stuck at a certain level.
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