The 2023-24 NBA campaign is over. And as the playoffs begin, it’s time to turn our collective attention to this season’s winners.
Every year the debate around the MVP seems to get more intense, and 2023-24 was no exception. There are real arguments for several candidates, and battle lines have been drawn all over the internet.
But this is not the only honor that will be awarded soon. Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Improved Player and Clutch Player of the year will also be revealed.
Bleacher Report’s picks for who should receiving each of the above honors can be found below.
Typically, the franchise with the second-best record in the league (57 wins in 2022-23) won’t significantly change its starting five, but Brad Stevens and the Celtics have had a busy summer.
They traded key players such as Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III and Grant Williams (via sign-and-trade). But the comeback was worth it, as Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis helped the Celtics run away with 64 wins (seven ahead of the next best teams).
Stevens also gave Payton Pritchard a four-year, $30 million economic exception on the rookie scale. He went from a borderline rotation player to a key reserve, playing in all 82 games while contributing 9.6 points and 3.4 assists (shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range). Other unheralded players like Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta contributed to what was one of the Celtics’ all-time best regular seasons.
Leon Rose of the New York Knicks would be the second finalist after a 50-win season and the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
—Eric Pincus
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault already won the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award and will almost certainly win the league award when the results are announced.
The 39-year-old led an average age group of 23.4 to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, becoming the youngest team to do so in almost two full years.
Going from 40 wins to 57 wins was a huge improvement, as only the Boston Celtics won more games overall. OKC joined Boston as only two teams ranking top four in the NBA in offense and defense.
The Thunder also held a net rating of plus-10.7 in clutch timespeaking about the effectiveness of Daigneault’s decisions late in the game and managing the clock when the game was on the line.
Other coaches like Jamahl Mosley (Orlando Magic), Tom Thibodeau (New York Knicks) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) also had fantastic seasons, but a No. 1 seed and 57 wins with a group that hadn’t Not even an average age of 24 should be enough to secure Daigneault his first COTY trophy.
—Greg Swartz
The Chicago Bulls re-signed Coby White to a three-year deal worth $36 million to $40 million in July after he averaged 9.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. That’s a reasonable price for a reserve player, but he’s matured quickly.
The 24-year-old started 78 games, nearly doubling his production to 19.1 points and 5.1 assists, with a jump from 23.4 to 36.5 minutes per game. Injuries put Chicago in play-in, but they wouldn’t be there without White – at what is now a discounted price for two more seasons.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey may be the favorite to win the award after a tremendous season, but he was already pretty good last year.
Others to consider include Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic), Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors), Grayson Allen (Phoenix Suns) and Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards).
However, White’s transformation from “just a guy” to starting guard, averaging nearly 20 points per game, has been more impressive.
—Eric Pincus
Again, this is an award with several strong contenders.
Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray both have dominant net ratings in the clutch (defined by the league as the final five minutes of games within five points), and their team directed the league in terms of net clutch rating.
Coby White led the NBA in assists and total plus-minus in the clutch. His Chicago Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan was second in clutch points scored and fourth in clutch plus-minus.
But the help each of these players provided to their teammates in these situations makes it a little more difficult to give individual credit to any of them.
The biggest carry job in the clutch was done by Stephen Curry. He led the league in total points scored in the clutch while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from deep and 95.1 percent from the line. Among Golden State Warriors with at least 20 decisive appearances, no one averaged a third of their 45.2 points per 75 possessions.
Curry was tasked with leading an old and sometimes suspension-impacted team into these high-leverage games, and he consistently delivered like no one else in the league did.
—Andy Bailey
Victor Wembanyama wasn’t just the best rookie this season. He was one of the best rookies we have ever seen.
The only other rookies in NBA history averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game are all enshrined in the Hall of Fame, a list that includes Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson and Alonzo Mourning. While those three combined to go 0 of 7 from three during their rookie seasons, Wembanyama also added 128 three-pointers and made 35.7 percent of his outside looks during his last 28 games.
The 20-year-old led the league with 3.6 blocks per game, easily finishing ahead of second-place Anthony Davis with 2.4 blocks per game.
We’re going to see a showcase full of Defensive Player of the Year awards in the Frenchman’s future, as his 7’4″ stature and eight-foot wingspan will make him the most dangerous defender in the league once he will become familiar with the tendencies of the opponents.
There’s simply no ceiling for last year’s No. 1 pick. As good as fellow rookies Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Amen Thompson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and others, Wembanyama was easily the best of the bunch.
—Greg Swartz
It’s a difficult choice. Among players with over 1,000 minutes and fewer than 30 starts, TJ McConnell had the highest score. plus/minus box. With the same parameters, Sam Hauser leads in raw more less, Keldon Johnson led in points per game, Tim Hardaway Jr. led in points total. If you add up the total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks of everyone in this group, the leader was Bobby Portis.
And while our pick here wasn’t at the top of any of those lists, it was close to there in all of them.
Naz Reid averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers in just 24.2 minutes, while shooting 41.4% from deep and being able to play with Rudy Gobert or Karl-Anthony Towns. When he was on the court, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a point differential around that of a 57-win team.
And the 24-year-old has provided all of that while also being a positive defender, according to Dunks and Threes‘ estimated plus-minus (one of the most reliable catch-all metrics in NBA front offices).
—Andy Bailey
Rudy Gobert is set to become one of only three players in NBA history to win four Defensive Player of the Year awards, joining Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo.
Even with Victor Wembanyama making a late surge and easily leading the NBA in blocked shots, Gobert anchored the Minnesota Timberwolves’ No. 1 overall defense (108.4 rating). He also held his opponents to a lower success percentage. at the edge than the Spurs star (51.8 percent versus 52.9 percent) this season.
It was Gobert’s paint protection and overall defensive deterrence that helped propel the Wolves to a 56-win season, even though Karl-Anthony Towns missed 18 games near the end of the season. Minnesota also finished second the opponent points in the paint (46.1 per game), with the 31-year-old forcing players to expand their shot array.
Wembanyama could possibly overtake Gobert in trophy totals, but this year’s hardware belongs to the three-time winner.
—Greg Swartz
In some seasons, the most deserving MVP candidate becomes relatively obvious at some point along the way. This was certainly not the case in 2023-2024. With every game behind us, there are reasonable arguments for at least four players.
Nikola Jokić led the league again in most catch-all metrics from the Internet, and his Denver Nuggets were tied for the best record in the West.
Luka Dončić won the scoring title, led the Dallas Mavericks to 50 wins and led his team in assists and rebounds per game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged over 30 points, led the league in steals per game and was the main reason the Oklahoma City Thunder became the the youngest #1 seed in league history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first NBA player history with an average of more than 30 points with a success percentage of more than 60.
The merits of each could be supported by plenty of other evidence, but nothing really fits Jokić’s case.
Beyond the numbers provided, the Serb recorded 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, while shooting 62.6% from two. He led the league in total more less. He finished fifth in total points, third in total rebounds, second in total assists, and eighth in total steals. When he was on the floor, the Nuggets had a point differential around that of a 67-win team. When he was on leave, the differential was of the order of that of a 16 victories team.
No one elevates their teammates like the Joker. He prioritizes every possession. It seems like he makes the right read in nine out of ten plays. In the clutch, he and Jamal Murray form a one-two punch that looks truly unstoppable. He had a net rating of plus-25.7 over the final five minutes of five-point games.
This could go on and on, but in the end, perhaps the most important point is that Jokić sustained his title run in 2023 by proving once again that he is the best player in the league. This season’s MVP selection should reflect that (and early feedback suggests it will).
—Andy Bailey
