The NBA announced last night on a special program on the TNT network prior to the play-in confrontation between the Pacers and the Wizards the finalists for all the awards for the 2020-2021 season.
Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers) and Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) are the three finalists for the award Defensive Player of the Year, an award that the French pivot has already won twice.
Another fantasy trio tops the finalists at Rookie of the Year: LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings). The fight for the rookie of the year is expected to be one of the most even due to Ball’s injury, who probably would have taken the award from the street had it not been for his physical problems.
The Best Sixth Man it will go, except for a capital surprise, to a Utah Jazz player, the best record in the NBA and clearly the most choral team in the entire competition. The award designates three finalists: Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles and Derrick Rose (New York Knicks).
Another member of the Knicks, Julius Randle, is the top favorite for the award Most Improved Player (MIP), which pits you against other candidates such as Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons) and Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets).
They will keep the Coach of the Year award Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns), Quin Snyder (Utah Jazz) or Tom Thibodeau (New York Knicks), who won it just a decade ago with the 2011 Chicago Bulls.
The NBA also obviously announced the three MVP favorites, to be decided between Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors).