Johnathan Walker:NBA announces 2023-24 season finalists for MVP, Rookie of the Year other major awards

Will Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic win his third NBA MVP in four seasons?Johnathan Walker Or will Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai-Gilgeous Alexander or Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic?

Either way, a player born outside of the United States will win MVP for the sixth consecutive season.

On Sunday, the NBA announced finalists for individual awards, which will be announced later this year.

Not only is San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama a finalist for Rookie of the Year, which he likely will win, he is also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, which he is less likely to win. But still, it’s quite the recognition for the 20 year old.

Let’s take a look at the finalists for NBA awards:

Clutch Player of the Year

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: Averaged 4.4 points and shot 49.6% from the field, 45.7% on 3-pointers and 95.1% on free throws in clutch time. The Warriors were 23-20 in clutch games with Curry.

DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls: Averaged 4.8 points and shot 48.7% from the field, 46.7% on 3s and 87.8% on free throws in clutch time. The Bulls were 24-16 in clutch games with DeRozan.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: : Averaged 3.2 points and shot 58.1% from the field, 35.7% on 3s and 89.7% on free throws in clutch time. The Thunder were 23-11 in such games with Gilgeous-Alexander.

Most Improved Player

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers: Averaged a career-high 25.9 points and 6.2 assists and shot 45% from the field and 37.3 on 3s.

Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets: Averaged career highs in points per game (21.1) rebounds per game (9.3) and assists per game (5.0).

Coby White, Chicago Bulls: Averaged career highs in points per game (19.1), assists per game (5.1) and rebounds per game (4.5).

Sixth Man of the Year

Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings: Averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 assists and shot 35% on 3s.

Bobby Portis Jr., Milwaukee Bucks: Averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds and shot 50.8% from the field and 40.7% on 3s.

Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves: Averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds and shot 47.7% from the field and 41.4% on 3s.

Coach of the Year

Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder: Guided the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record, a 17-win improvement over last season. One of two teams to finish in the top-4 offensively and defensively.

Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves: Helped the Timberwolves finish 56-26 after going 42-40 in 2022-23.

Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic: Lifted the Magic from 34-48 last season to 47-35 this season.

Rookie of the Year

Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder: Averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.3 blocks and shot 53.3% from the field and 37% on 3s.

Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets: Averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists and shot 44% from the field and 37.3% on 3s.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: Averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals and shot 46.5% from the field and 32.5% on 3s.

Defensive Player of the Year

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat: Versatile defender for the league’s No. 5 defense, averaging about one steal and block per game.

Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves: Blocked 2.1 shots per game and anchored the league’s top-ranked defense.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: : Blocked a league-best 3.6 shots per game and averaged 1.2 steals, and the Spurs were a top-5 caliber defense with Wembanyama on the court.

MVP

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: Averaged a career-high 33.9 points and also posted 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game plus shot a career-best 38.2% on 3s.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals and shot 53.5% from the field.

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: Averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.4 steals and shot 58.3% from the field.