2022-23 NBA Regular Season Awards Predictions: Experts choose Player of the Year, Player of the Year, and Best Improved Player

Basketball in the NBA is a team sport, but it is rare that one individual can make an amazing difference. Aaron Judge can only come to the board four or five times per match. Patrick Mahomes has no one to throw at him if his receivers don’t open. (He is not playing defense.) But in the NBA, a single player can dominate extended periods of the game themselves, which is why stars have such power and are rewarded with such lucrative salaries.

As the 2022-23 season approaches, all awards races have several reasonable candidates, including the best player. Most people would expect Nikola Jokic not to win a third consecutive season due to voter fatigue, but that could easily change if he leads Denver Nuggets To the first seed in a stacked Western Conference. The Philadelphia 76ersJoel Embiid has been a bridesmaid in each of the past two seasons, so he’s a logical candidate to win the award this year, but he’ll face stiff competition from both players we’d expect, and at least two black horses that come from where I don’t know.

The Rookie of the Year is usually determined by the talented young players who get the most chances, but that could be any number of first-year players this season – especially since winning isn’t a priority for most of their teams. It was really interesting to see if the season would produce a fight between first-choice Paolo Panchero and second-choice Chet Holmgren, but Holmgren’s foot injury put that discussion off.

The award with the fewest realistic choices is perhaps the best defensive player of the year. If Rudy Gobert can get Minnesota Timberwolves In the top five in defensive proficiency, he may take home the award for the fourth time. Then there is Bam Adebayo, who was Miami Heat They defended him relentlessly in the past seasons, and Phoenix SunsWinger Mikal Bridges, one of the few Ocean players with a solid chance of winning a DPOY.

Aquarius recipients generally receive the 6th Man of the Year award, which is awarded Golden State Warriors“Jordan Paul and Tyler Hero of the Miami Heat are at the top of any list. There is also another candidate who does not quite fit the role of pure striker, Malcolm Brogdon with Boston Celtics. Sure, he could score, but if he won the prize, it would be more for his ability to drive the second unit over both ends of the floor.

The MVP award is always a hard one to predict, mostly because none of us really understand the criteria. Memphis Grizzlies Point guard Ja Morant won it last season when he was already expected to be an All-Star, while a player like Paul from the G League went on to average 18.5 points per game for the championship team and finished in a disappointing fourth place. This season’s nominees generally include talented players who will have more opportunities, such as Philadelphia 76ers goalkeeper Therese Maxi, New York Knicks goalkeeper Galen Bronson and Indiana Pacers Therese Halliburton goalkeeper.

The Coach of the Year tends to go for a coach whose team vastly exceeds expectations, so this is hard to predict. A strong jump in the rankings from last season could lead to a coach like Willie Green New Orleans Pelicans the award, while well-known innovators such as Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors And Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves may also be rewarded for their acumen.

Finally, there’s the CEO of the Year award, a seriously competitive race this season thanks to popular off-season moves by Cleveland CavaliersAnd the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves. But large spots do not always win over household appliances. Tweaking around the edges, like what Daryl Morey did with the 76ers or what Brad Stevens did with the Celtics, can be just as important.

The CBS Sports NBA team has taken a crack at predicting all of these awards for the 2022-23 season, and it’s talking about the open nature of racing that none of the choices were unanimous. The awards are a snapshot of any given season, so it’s fun to check out the nominees entering the year, and then look back to see who surprised us when it was all said and done.

Enjoy.