Now that the NBA’s trade deadline has passed and the All-Star break approaches, teams now head into the most pivotal point of the entire regular season. The final 25 games of this NBA season will determine where many contenders will begin their journey and determine the four teams whose fate lies in the play-in tournament. Some of the other storylines that are intriguing to end the season will be the ones that will form as the different awards races come to a conclusion. The six different major awards up for grabs each have a compelling race attached to them, and we are here to break down where everyone sits at this current moment.
The MVP race has come down to three of four players who are all worthy of being the victor. The Rookie of the Year race is a two-man race with many up-and-coming stars making up this 2022-23 rookie class. Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Sixth Man of the year, and Most Improved Player awards have all brought to light some of the most exciting storylines in the NBA this season. With the league being shaken up at the deadline and the power seemingly shifting to the Western Conference, let us break down where the awards races sit as we near the All-Star break.
These are the NBA’s current award leaders for the 2022-23 season.
Coach Of The Year
The Current Leaders For The Coach Of The Year Award:
1. Joe Mazzulla
2. Mike Malone
3. Taylor Jenkins
4. Mike Brown
5. Mike Budenholzer
Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics holds the lead for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award for the work he has done so far this season with the Boston Celtics. After a tumultuous offseason that saw their head coach replaced and multiple key players injured, Boston responded to Mazzulla heading into the season and as it has progressed. Boston currently holds the best record in the NBA at 41-16 and holds a one-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the East.
In the Western Conference, Mike Malone has the Nuggets atop the standings after a few seasons of dealing with circumstances beyond his control. Malone has utilized his MVP Nikola Jokic to perfection for yet another season and has brought out the best in his supporting cast. With Jama Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back in action, the Nuggets currently rank first in the West at 39-18. If the Nuggets can somehow maintain this level of play, Malone will give Mazzulla a run for his money for the award by season’s end.
After the 2022 season concluded for the Memphis Grizzlies, many thought we would not see them back in contention for quite some time. Out to prove it was no fluke, Taylor Jenkins rallied his troops once again as they are having another strong 2022-23 campaign. Jenkins has coached the Grizzlies to the second-rated defense in the NBA at this point, with just the 17th-ranked offense. The Grizzlies are currently on a bit of a slide but still sit at 34-21 on the season and hold the second spot in the Western Conference.
Mike Brown is having a spectacular season in his first year with the Sacramento Kings. For the first time in 17 seasons, Brown has the Kings on the cusp of the NBA playoffs and set to break the longest playoff drought in North American sports. The Kings are 31-24 on the season and, led by duo De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, are poised to make some real noise come playoff time. Brown can win this award still if he manages to coach the Kings to a Top Two seed in the West. He would at least have to be considered heavily for the honor.
The final coach set to perhaps finish even higher than where we have him ranked is Mike Budeholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite injuries and depth issues, Budenholzer has his Bucks just one game back of the Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Budeholzer has been the subject of harsh criticisms at different points this season, yet he still manages to get his team back into shape every single time. Budenholzer should and will be considered for this award if Milwaukee overtakes Boston for first place.
Sixth Man Of The Year
The Current Leaders For The Sixth Man Of The Year Award:
1. Russell Westbrook
2. Malcolm Brogdon
3. Jordan Poole
4. Tyrese Maxey
5. Bennedict Mathurin
The Sixth Man of the Year race took an interesting turn over the NBA trade deadline. The current leader for the award, Russell Westbrook, was traded from the Lakers to the Jazz. Now, we wait to see if he will re-sign with Utah or negotiate a buyout and sign elsewhere. For the moment, he remains the leader for the award, having averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 7.5 APG, mostly coming off the bench. Now, all that remains to be seen is if he will be in a bench role or a starter with whatever new team he lands with.
One of the biggest off-season pickups this past summer was Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics. Having a player of that caliber as your Sixth Man is a luxury not many teams can lay claim to. Brogdon has thrived in his role off the bench with Boston as they continue to lead the NBA with a 40-16 record. He is averaging 14.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG while shooting 45.2% from the three-point range and 47.6% overall. Brogdon is certainly in the hunt for Sixth Man of the Year and will win the award if Westbrook gets a starting job somewhere else.
Jordan Poole’s claim to Sixth Man has taken a big hit as of late, and it has nothing to do with his play. Poole has been great for the Warriors this season but, at this point, has made more starts than games in which he came off the bench. That doesn’t exactly qualify you for the award in this case. Poole is averaging 20.9 PPG for Golden State this season and has done a nice job of stepping in for an injured Stephen Curry. If Curry’s injury continues to linger, Poole’s qualification as Sixth Man of the Year will go right out the window.
One player who has not gotten nearly enough love for their work off the bench is Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers. After struggling with injury for most of the early season, Maxey has returned to the 76ers lineup and played outstanding. On the season, Maxey is averaging 19.7 PPG for the Sixers and looks to be solidified in his role behind James Harden off the bench. The Sixers are playing extremely well, and Maxey’s leadership of the second unit has a lot to do with it. If he remains off the bench for the remainder of the season, look for Maxey to be a finalist for this award.
The final member of the Sixth Man of the Year race is rookie Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Mathurin is averaging 17.2 PPG off the bench for Indiana and has made just six starts in 58 games so far. He could easily be higher than this on the list but is struggling heavily to begin the month of February. He is averaging just 11.3 PPG this month, something that looks like it could be from a lack of touches and a lack of aggressiveness from the first-year guard. Mathurin has a chance to be right back in the thick of things with a turnaround for the rest of this month and beyond.
Most Improved Player Of The Year
The Current Leaders For The Most Improved Player Of The Year:
1. Lauri Markkanen
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
3. Jalen Brunson
4. Tyrese Haliburton
5. Alperen Sengun
Personally, the Most Improved player award is my favorite award of the season. There is nothing better than seeing the guys who have made the largest leaps in their careers be rewarded for it. The leader for Most Improved at this point is still Lauri Markkanen who is going to be an All-Star for the first time. Markkanen is averaging exactly 10.0 PPG more than he did last season while adding 8.5 RPG and 41.6% shooting from three-point range on a career-high 7.3 attempts. Markkanen is a lock for this ward barring injury or a massive dropoff in production.
We have always known that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be a star. We just didn’t know that his breakout season was going to be this special. The Thunder currently hold the final play-in spot in the Western Conference, further than most had them going this season at this point. Shai has been the one carrying the load for the team averaging 31.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 1.7 SPG through 51 starts this season. He has improved his game tremendously but the most? He has been far too good for the last two years to say that.
Jalen Brunson was labeled as one of the biggest overpays this past offseason. Leaving the Mavericks for the Knicks was seen as a massive mistake by Brunson who was awarded a monster contract from New York. Brunson has made everyone eat their words with his play for the Knicks so far in 2022-23 who sit in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference at 31-27 on the year. Brunson is averaging 23.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 0.9 SPG on the year, with a 7.3 PPG improvement from last season. The All-Star snub has definitely been on a mission to prove how the voters and coaches got it wrong.
Tyrese Haliburton would be further up on this list had he not missed some time with an injury over the last six weeks. Haliburton is currently among the league leaders for assists as he sits at 10.1 APG on the year while also averaging 19.8 PPG. While he was away, the Pacers fell out of the playoffs and now reside in 12th in the Eastern Conference at 25-33 on the season. Haliburton’s big year cannot be discounted though as he is shooting 48.0% overall and 39.9% from three.
The final member of the Top Five for Most Improved is a newcomer to the list this season and that is Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets. Now, second-year players are almost never considered for this award and I still do not understand why to this day. Sengun has improved drastically across the board as the Rockets’ starting center averaging 15.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.0 BOG. He is shooting 56.7% from the field after shooting less than 47.5% last season as well. Sengun is well on his way to becoming one of the better centers in the league if this trend keeps up.
Defensive Player Of The Year
The Current Leaders For The Defensive Player Of The Year Award:
1. Jaren Jackson Jr.
2. Nic Claxton
3. Brook Lopez
4. Bam Adebayo
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Defensive Player of the Year race is one of the tightest award races that we have in 2022-23. Right now, Jaren Jackson Jr. is the leader for this award as he anchors the second-best defense in basketball. After winning the blocks title in 2022, Jackson is following that up with 3.3 BPG this season along with 1.0 SPG. Despite a fan theory that says his defensive stats are being padded at home, Jackson has been playing great defensive basketball no matter where he is playing. The only thing that hurts him among fans and the media will be the fact he plays for Memphis and nothing else.
Nic Claxton could almost be on the list for Most Improved with the massive jump he made this season, especially on defense. Claxton is technically the leader in blocks for the NBA this season with 2.6 BPG, but that is only because he has played enough games to qualify and Jackson has not. Claxton is still anchoring a Nets team that just lost their two best offensive weapons. Could his defense still help Brooklyn keep a playoff spot?
Brook Lopez is another interior player vying for Defensive Player of the Year with the Milwaukee Bucks. Lopez has never had this much of a defensive game but has been an elite defender so far in 2022-23. Lope’s transition into a two-way impactful player has been tremendous to watch as he has become an avid shot-blocker and a shooter on the other end. Lopez is currently averaging 2.5 BPG and is staking his claim as the best interior defender on his team.
Now we get to the most versatile defensive player of the entire Top Five. Bam Adebayo is as frustrating as it gets for opposing coaches to gameplan for because he can cover any position at any spot on the court. Adebayo is a talented interior defender with amazing instincts and awareness of the game around him. He is agile and is fast enough on the perimeter to keep up with some of the best wings in the game and his length makes him a triple threat. Currently, Adebayo is averaging 1.2 SPG and 0.8 BPG while pulling down 10.1 RPG. He has made his second career All-Star game and has helped Miami turn what looked to be a disaster into playoffs aspirations.
The final member of the Top Five for the Defensive Player of the Year is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis has had a bit of a down season defensively, probably due to the fact that he has such a load to carry on offense and has been in and out of the lineup a few times as well. While his defensive numbers are slightly down, that speaks nothing to the impact that he still has on opposing offenses and how easily they get to the paint. Giannis has been great all season at protecting the rim but has also been much better at not allowing opponents to get easy shots from the perimeter. Giannis doesn’t look like he can do enough to get back to the top of this award during 2022-23 but that doesn’t rule him out for the future.
Rookie Of The Year
The Current Leaders For The Rookie Of The Year Award:
1. Paolo Banchero
2. Bennedict Mathurin
3. Jalen Williams
4. Walker Kessler
5. Keegan Murray
The rookie class of 2022-23 has done an amazing job of proving why they belong in the professional ranks. The class is filled with future stars and the brightest of them all so far has been the number one overall pick Paolo Banchero. Despite dealing with an injury earlier this season, Banchero has been great on all fronts, looking like a veteran at times with his skills and court awareness for the Magic this season. He is currently averaging 20.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.0 SPG through 50 starts and is shooting 41.9% from the floor. So far, this award has been Banchero’s award to lose all season and it remains that way with just over 25 games to go.
Bennedict Mathurin has been on Bachero’s heels all year long and remains there now as well. Mathurin is even in the running for Sixth Man of the Year, leading all scorers off the bench at a certain time during the season. Mathurin is currently averaging 17.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG off the bench for the Indiana Pacers and provides a great spark for them when they need it. Mathurin’s hopes are dwindling though as a rough stretch lately has taken a toll on his numbers.
Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder made a big statement for his Rookie of the Year case the same night that LeBron James broke the all-time scoring record this past week. Williams delivered 25 points, seven rebounds, and six steals to spoil LeBron’s big night. The rookie is averaging 12.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 1.2 SPG as the Thunder try to at least sneak into the play-in game by season’s end.
Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz has been one of the rookies that have skyrocketed up the ladder this past month. On the season, Kessler is averaging 8.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.0 BPG as one of the better defensive bigs in the entire NBA. Things have been even better over his last 15 starts as he is averaging 11.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in those contests to make his way to fourth on our list. Kessler may not win the Rookie of the Year but he is certainly a name to watch for in the future.
The final member of our Rookie of the Year Top Five is Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings. Murray earned a starting job for the Kings immediately as a rookie and has provided a tremendous two-way impact for them so far at the forward position. Murray is averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.7 SPG, and 0.5 BPG. The numbers don’t seem like much but his impact has been apparent to anyone who has watched the Kings skyrocket up to third place in the West this season. Murray is sure to be a big part of any playoff success that the Kings may have and a big part of the future that lies ahead in Sacramento.
Most Valuable Player
The Current Leaders For The Most Valuable Player Award:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Jayson Tatum
5. Luka Doncic
When we compare the Top Five for the MVP award, it has been as close as it gets all season long and shows no signs of stopping. Nikola Jokic still comes in at number one, leading the Nuggets to the best record in the West while averaging a triple-double from the center position. Jokic is on track to become the first player since Larry Bird to win three straight MVPs and is leading the NBA in PER for the third straight season. The only way Jokic loses this award is from injury or if the Nuggets falter the rest of the way this season.
Joel Embiid once again finds himself staring at Nikola Jokic in front of him on the MVP rankings. Embiid finished runner-up to Jokic in each of Jokic’s first two MVP wins and it is shaping up that way again in 2022-23. Since January 28, Embiid has averaged 33.6 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.1 BPG. He is playing his best two-way basketball this season right now and can make a serious case for himself in he can get the Sixers back to the second spot and even battle the Celtics for the top spot in the East.
Another star who began to slip down these rankings but is now flying back into the top three is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis has the Bucks back with the second-best record in the NBA and hot on the tail of the one-seeded Boston Celtics. Since returning from injury on January 23, Giannis is averaging 39.4 PPG, 14.7 RPG, and 5.0 APG and is shooting 60.5% from the field. At that pace, how can he not be in the legitimate running for the MVP?
Jayson Tatum has been hovering around the Top Five for MVP all season long and remains there once again this week. Tatum has only one thing working against him and that is the fact he has a teammate in Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 26.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG, right next to him on the court. In his last nine games, Tatum is averaging 28.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 5.6 APG for the Celtics as they remain the top team in the Eastern Conference. There seems to be no road for him to actually win the MVP this season.
Rounding out the Top Five is a player that has actually led this race this season at one point. Luka Doncic has been on an incredible pace this season but has worn down quite a bit due to his high usage rate. The Mavericks did finally go out and get him some help acquiring Kyrie Irving just before the trade deadline. Luka and Kyrie will undoubtedly be one of the best duos in basketball but will it be enough to climb up the standings and get Luka back into the Top Three for MVP? That remains to be seen, as the Mavericks are 2-1 since Kyrie got to town.
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