(Check out FTN’s full NBA playoff preview!)

That’s a wrap on the NBA regular season! The Play-In tournament is set to begin Tuesday and the first round of the playoffs will start Saturday, but awards season is here now.

If you’re getting ready for the playoffs, check out our Play-In breakdown and our full playoff simulations. Over the next handful of weeks, we’ll find out who takes home the annual NBA honors. Unfortunately, nobody at FTN Fantasy has an official ballot (yet!), but if I was granted one by the league, here’s how I’d be casting my votes. Keep in mind the new rules that disqualify any player for year-end awards who don’t appear in at least 65 games where they played 20 or more minutes.

2024-2025 NBA Awards Picks

Most Valuable Player

The Favorite: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
My Pick: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

I have no issue with Gilgeous-Alexander winning the award. He’s a deserving recipient. But Jokić is the best player in the world and the most valuable by definition. The Nuggets were 22.1 points per 100 possessions better with Jokić on the floor this season than off, essentially the difference between a top-five team in the Western Conference and a bottom-three team in the league. Oklahoma City on the other hand was just 9.1 points per 100 possessions better with Gilgeous-Alexander on this season. Still a great number, but it highlights just how good the Thunder are as a team, compared to the relative one-man show in Denver. Jokić averaged career highs in points, assists, steals and three-point percentage (41.4%!), it’s impossible for me to stray away from voting for him even as the crowd backs Gilgeous-Alexander.

Defensive Player of the Year

The Favorite: Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
My Pick: Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder)

I was very close to giving this nod to Dyson Daniels, but Dort has the strongest case with Victor Wembanyama ineligible. Of the 19 players Dort guarded for 50 or more possessions this season, 17 of them were current or former All-Stars (Desmond Bane and Jalen Green were the outliers). Of those 19, just seven of them shot better than 44% from the field when guarded by Dort. He’s the most impressive defensive player who is eligible from the best defensive team, with the Thunder in their own tier in regards to defensive rating this season.

Rookie of the Year

The Favorite: Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
My Pick: Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

The case some people are making for Zaccharie Risacher to win this award is cute, and I haven’t wavered in my pre-draft stance that he’ll be an above-average NBA player for a long time with a ceiling to be considered much better than that if things break right. But if you actually watched this year’s rookies play this season, you’ll know that Castle is the only choice for this award. His defense made an immediate impact and had opposing coaches scheming to get him switched off the ball in the first two weeks of the regular season. Despite the lackluster shooting from three, Castle ended up leading this year’s crop of rookies in 20-point performances. He also had six double-doubles this season, three with rebounds and three with assists and came up one rebound and one assist short of triple doubles in two of those performances.

Sixth Man of the Year

The Favorite: Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
My Pick: Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons

Similar to the MVP award, I’m totally fine with Pritchard winning this one even though he’s not my preferred choice. While he’s an electric player, he was able to frequently feast in garbage time as the Celtics racked up the third-highest point differential in the league at +9.1. Beasley on the other hand was instrumental in helping the Pistons surprise the NBA world by clinching the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. He stepped up big time in the absence of Jaden Ivey, filling an offensive void and playing in all 82 games while shooting a career-high 41.3% from three.

Most Improved Player

The Favorite: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
My Pick: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks

A throw-in asset in the Dejounte Murray trade last offseason, Daniels exploded with the Hawks this season, starting all 76 games he appeared in for Atlanta. He shot 49.3% from the floor and was even able to knock down his three at a 34% clip. For a guy whose shot was (and maybe still is) considered “broken,” that’s more than serviceable, especially with the defensive impact Daniels brings to the court night in and night out. He led the league in steals and should garner some votes for Defensive Player of the Year as well.

Coach of the Year

The Favorite: Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
My Pick: Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets

Atkinson is a deserving winner, but I explained my thoughts on Udoka’s case to win Saturday morning.

Clutch Player of the Year

The Favorite: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
My Pick: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

I’m not a huge fan of this award in general. Since the NBA keeps “clutch points” as a stat, it’s tough to not just award it to the leader in that category. “Clutch” is defined as performances in the final five minutes of a game when the score is within five points. This year, Brunson leads with 5.6 clutch points per game in 28 clutch games. Jokić on the other hand was involved in 33 clutch games, averaging 4.2 points. However, Jokić also averaged more rebounds and assists than Brunson, along with shooting 42.9% from three in clutch moments compared to just 29.4% from Brunson, so I’d roll with the best player in the world for this one.

All-NBA

First Team

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Second Team

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Third Team

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

All-Defense

First Team

Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Second Team

Derrick White, Boston Celtics
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers

All-Rookie

First Team

Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat

Second Team

Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
Carlton Carrington, Washington Wizards
Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans