We are exactly five days deep into the new NBA season, and in typical NBA fashion, there is no shortage of drama. Are the Los Angeles Lakers going to be as dominant as everyone expected them to be? Do the Brooklyn Nets need Kyrie Irving even more than we thought they did? Also, what does Ben Simmons’ future possibly entail, be it in Philadelphia, or elsewhere?
With so much up in the air, it’s a perfect time to take our shot in the dark and predict who will win this year’s regular season awards, and who will be crowned the 2022 NBA Champions. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Most Valuable Player
Drew Clutchey
Stephen Curry and the Dubs are looking to put themselves back on the map, and with fellow splash brother Klay Thompson out until at least Christmas, Curry is going to be the player to do it. He led the league in scoring last season, carrying the Warriors to the play-in game. Had the Warriors finished higher in the standings, he could have been MVP then too.
Neeraj Varma
Damian Lillard is giving Portland yet another to get things right. In his entire tenure there, the Blazers have failed to appear in a conference finals. With a rejuvenated roster that features the likes of Norman Powell and Larry Nance Jr., I have full belief that Lillard will be the leagues terminator this season, despite his slow start, and win MVP.
Jeremy Wilson
I also have Stephen Curry winning his third MVP here. He probably could have won it last year if he played for a better team, and assuming Klay comes back by the new year and the Warriors become a top 5-6 seed, it should be Curry’s award to lose.
Jordan Moore
Steph Curry. The Warriors are looking at a bounce back season and we know how much the media loves Steph. Also he’s just really good at basketball.
CJ Goater
Giannis is going to win it again. NBA fans seem to get bored with repeat winners at times. The more wins in a row, the less favoured a player seems to become, but Giannis is just too good. I believe that he will win his 3rd MVP in a row becoming the first to do so since Larry Bird.
Caleb Schiedel
Stephen Curry is already off to a hot start this season and I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon. Curry has already proven that he can lead a team, and when Klay Thompson comes back from injury, the Golden State Warriors will be one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Defensive Player of The Year
Drew Clutchey
Anthony Davis is on the record in saying that he wants to win DPOY. He was riddled with injuries throughout last season, and had trouble getting into rhythm with his Lakers teammates. The Lakers have a chip on their shoulder this year, and will be looking to Davis to anchor their defense.
Neeraj Varma
It should be OG Anunoby, but let’s face it: he’ll never get the recognition that he deserves. Instead, my prediction here is Bam Adebayo. Having Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler as his mentors, development doesn’t get much easier for the young big man. If he can learn some of the details on that side of the ball from his vets and continue being an uber switchable presence like he has been for the past couple of seasons, he’s my favourite to win DPOY.
Jeremy Wilson
Sticking with the theme of past winners, I have Giannis Antetokounmpo winning his second DPOY. As always, he’ll be an absolute monster on the defensive side, playing some of the best perimeter defense in the league (and the best from anyone his size) in addition to blocking shots like the seven-footer he is.
Jordan Moore
Giannis Antetokounmpo. This one is tough, but Giannis will be a safe bet to be in the conversation at the very least.
CJ Goater
I expect Giannis to do very well again this year at the awards ceremony. He won this award two years ago, and with the rest of the All-Defensive first team from last year gaining another year in age, I think he’s primed for another run at DPOY.
Caleb Schiedel
This season, it seems like Frank Vogel is giving Anthony Davis a lot of minutes at the 5, which will help his case for DPOY. AD is already a stout defender as is, but when at the 5, he can further showcase his defensive abilities and prowess, which will surely not go unnoticed.
Most Improved Player
Drew Clutchey
Michael Porter Jr. finally got paid this off-season which will serve as extra motivation for him to improve and produce. With Nuggets point guard, Jamal Murray out for the foreseeable future, Porter Jr. will see far more touches than in years past, leaving the door open for him to make a big leap.
Neeraj Varma
Buy low, sell high, right? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a tough start to the season, however if the Thunder decide against throwing another season of his stardom down the drain in favour of more ping-pong balls, the Canadian guard looks like he’ll have the ability to get his franchise back in the playoff race. With a slight uptick in his numbers from last year and a greatly improved record, SGA is my pick to win Most Improved.
Jeremy Wilson
This is a Raptors blog at the end of the day, so I’m rolling with OG Anunoby. With Lowry gone and Siakam out for the first part of the season, OG should shoulder much of the scoring load for the Raptors. If he can score efficiently and play first team All-NBA type defense, there’s no reason for him to not win Most Improved.
Jordan Moore
Mo Bamba. The Magic big man is having a coming out party just a couple games in, and he will have every opportunity to shine with the lowly Magic this year.
CJ Goater
Nick Nurse has given Precious Achiuwa a lot of liberty on the court. He’s been allowed to bring the ball up the court and shoot when he’s open. In Toronto, Precious has an opportunity to go far and beyond how he played in Miami thanks to a new role and increased playing time.
Caleb Schiedel
With Jamal Murray still nursing his torn ACL for the foreseeable future, Michael Porter Jr. will have to take a huge leap this year if the Nuggets have any chance in the Western Conference. I believe MPJ will do just this, and take on a much larger offensive role this season, helping his case for MIP.
Rookie of The Year
Drew Clutchey
Scottie Barnes (kidding). Cade Cunningham – The number one pick in the 2021 draft, Cade has a diverse range of talents on offense. His superb passing and ability to score will help him win the ROTY.
Neeraj Varma
Scottie Barnes. Easy. Layup. Put my nonexistent house on it. The kid has showed in his first couple of games that he is a high-impact player on both ends of the floor. It’s a minuscule sample size, but the shot form isn’t anywhere close to broken. A 20-year-old who can guard Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, and Luka Doncic in a week, and come out averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds is the leader for this award every day of the week.
Jeremy Wilson
This might be a homer pick, and I’ll admit: this award will likely go to Cade Cunningham, but Scottie Barnes could have a real argument. He’s already shown the ability to score, pass, and rebound, and I would expect him to surpass Cunningham in assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.
Jordan Moore
Evan Mobley. Mobley is probably already the best player on the Cavs and he looks very ready for stardom.
CJ Goater
Scottie Barnes – am I even a Raptors fan if this isn’t my answer?
Caleb Schiedel
Scottie Barnes, and what more can you say? He is just Scottie Barnes. After a quick three games, it feels inevitable that he will win ROY… Scottie Barnes is the best rookie in this class and will have many opportunities throughout the start of this season to showcase his abilities due to the injury of Pascal Siakam. I believe Scottie will maintain his role in the starting lineup and continue his strong offensive and defensive play throughout the rest of the season. There is not much to say in all honesty, he is just the best all-around player in his class.
Sixth Man of The Year
Drew Clutchey
Jordan Clarkson is the reigning 6th man of the year, and I believe he will hoist the trophy again this year. He will play the exact same role on an extremely talented Jazz squad. With another year of experience under his belt, any small progress will be enough for him to be a 2 time champion of this award.
Neeraj Varma
I don’t like to put much emphasis on preseason basketball, but if we’re going to put any at all, then we’re going to be high on Tyler Herro. Following a sensational rookie season and a sophomore slump, I think that Herro will also thrive under the leadership of Kyle Lowry and take home 6th Man of the Year honours.
Jeremy Wilson
Tyrese Haliburton exploded onto the scene as a rookie last season, showing some of his true scoring ability. If he continues to play behind Buddy Hield, he should be exactly the sparkplug off the bench whom you would expect to win this award.
Jordan Moore
Tyler Herro. He will score take a lot of shots and score a lot of points on a Miami team that’s mostly defense first.
CJ Goater
My true answer is Jordan Clarkson, but I’m ready for some fresh faces on that podium and Cam Reddish is the next best thing. He appears to be the odd man out of Atlanta’s starting lineup, but that’s alright. Reddish and Huerter appear to be the only form of offence off the Hawks bench, so he should be set for a big season.
Caleb Schiedel
Tyler Herro seems to be a new man this year, and with Erik Spoelstra instilling trust in him to take on that important role this year, I believe Herro will serve his coach well and put up some amazing numbers coming off of the bench.
Coach of The Year
Drew Clutchey
Nate McMillan helped to lead a young Hawks team to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. With another year of experience under their belts, the Hawks will have another strong season. With this being his first full season as the head coach of the Hawks, I expect McMillan to pick up right where he left off, and take home the COTY award.
Neeraj Varma
Jordan Moore predicted in an earlier piece (as he will again below) that he believes Nick Nurse will win this award for the second time in three years, and if the Raptors are able to make the playoffs, then I think he’s absolutely right. This award historically goes to coaches who lead their teams to unexpected levels of success, and after finishing 12th in the conference last year, making a playoff push would certainly qualify the Iowa native.
Jeremy Wilson
After a hot start to the season (the only 3-0 team in the league), if the Bulls can keep up this pace and finish with a top seed in the East, the improvement over last year’s disaster should win Billy Donovan this award.
Jordan Moore
Nick Nurse. The Raptors are going to get better and better as the season goes on, and the league will once again realize the greatness of NN.
CJ Goater
There are a lot of new faces on this year’s Bulls team. If Billy Donovan can have them gel as a team, then I think he has solid odds for this award. He has some defensive liabilities to hide on his squad, but if he manages to do so successfully, the award is his.
Caleb Schiedel
The Atlanta Hawks are going to be a very dangerous team in the East this year. Trae, Young, John Collins, Deandre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic is an amazing core to have. In my books, they are for sure a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference, which will lead to Nate McMillan receiving the credit that he deserves.
Executive of The Year
Drew Clutchey
Rob Pelinka. With the roster that Pelinka has put together with little to no cap room, Pelinka is on the shortlist for the EOY award. If the Lakers win the chip, he’ll win it for sure.
Neeraj Varma
The city of Chicago has been hurting for a winning basketball team for a while now, and finally, it seems like they might have one. I’m higher on the Bulls this season than most, believing they can make a push to be a top five seed in the Eastern Conference. If they ultimately achieve that degree of success, I think Marc Eversley is a deserving winner here.
Jeremy Wilson
Great minds think alike. For making big offseason moves and having a higher seed, Marc Eversley of the Bulls would win this award for much the same reason as Billy Donovan.
Jordan Moore
Pat Riley. The man who added Kyle Lowry this summer is going to watch his team soar to a top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
CJ Goater
Masai Ujiri smoothly navigated the Kyle Lowry departure and managed to bring in some young talent and a veteran player in Goran Dragic. A solid draft saw the Raptors add three rookies, two of which have already seen the floor and played well. The better Scottie plays, the better this offseason looks.
Caleb Schiedel
With the huge addition of Kyle Lowry, I believe that the Miami Heat have improved tremendously. I would not be surprised if they make it out of the East given the current circumstances, which would give Pat Riley a one-way ticket to his second EOY award.
Finalists and Champions
Drew Clutchey
I’ve got the Bucks and Lakers eyeing each other at the pinnacle. The Lakers will bring home the title this season. While LeBron (and the rest of the team) are certainly on the older end, they still have a lot left to give. With fellow superstars Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, LeBron will figure out how to tie the team together and hoist the Larry O’Brien once again.
Neeraj Varma
No burning hot takes to see here: despite Kyrie Irving expected to miss the entire season, I have the Nets and Lakers squaring off in The Finals, with James Harden winning his first ring in Brooklyn and winning Finals MVP. Both of those squads simply have too much talent to not meet each other at the top.
Jeremy Wilson
I’m calling the Lakers to win the NBA Finals over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks’ superior defense and shooting will return them to the Finals environment where they will face a much better foe than the previous year, a healthy Los Angeles Lakers team. LeBron will win his final Finals MVP and take over in Game 7 to cement his legacy and win possibly his last title.
Jordan Moore
Nets over Warriors. Kevin Durant is good enough to win all by himself. The fact that he has James Harden is just terrifying. The Kyrie drama will be interesting, but it’s hard to bet against two players who could go for 50 on any given night.
CJ Goater
I have the Lakers taking on the Bucks in the finals with the Bucks winning it all. I feel like age will catch up with the Lakers this season and they won’t have quite enough juice to make it over the edge. I also have concerns over the Lakers synergy, given that they have a few guys on one team who used to be the number one option.
Caleb Schiedel
I’ve got the Miami Heat squaring off against the Denver Nuggets. This is a bold take, and I am playing it a bit risky with this one. The Miami Heat are a great all-around team and I truly believe they can beat the Milwaukee Bucks when at their best. I am banking on the fact that there will still be some issues in Brooklyn (Kyrie). With the inevitable return of Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets will have one of the most loaded squads in the West. I personally don’t believe Phoenix will do as well this year, and the Clippers always seem to be plagued by injuries come playoff time. I am also a bit skeptical of the Westbrook-Lakers fit and don’t know if that will work during the playoffs.