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With the NBA Finals well over and many teams looking to the offseason, many are already talking about what the NBA’s best players will accomplish next season.
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić's race to MVP was the story season, as the two seemingly one-upped each other with every performance down the stretch of the regular season. Joel Embiid ultimately took home the 2022 MVP trophy, but which players will make the storylines next season?
Most Valuable Player: Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
This has seemingly been everyone’s pick for the last three seasons, so what is different this year? Team success. The Dallas Mavericks were one of the Western Conference's best teams until their midseason collapse.
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The Mavericks attempted to reload, trading for all-star Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline. With such little time to gel and build chemistry, the Luka-Kyrie experiment did not pan out for Dallas.
Despite this, the Mavs’ all-star duo showed tremendous flashes. If the Mavericks can convince Kyrie to stay and sign a few key role players to help Luka, we could finally see the MVP run we've been expecting from Luka Dončić.
Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Evan Mobley had another very good season in his sophomore campaign, picking up All-Defensive First-Team honors. He averaged nine rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and led the NBA in defensive win shares (DWS) with 4.8.
The seven-footer out of USC got it done on the defensive side of the floor all season for Cleveland. With the continued development of his elite defensive tools, Evan Mobley could etch his name in the record books as the youngest Defensive Player of the Year award winner in the history of the NBA.
Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
It's a prediction in itself that Wemby will be drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, however, that seems like a given. It also almost seems like a given that he will take home the Rookie of the Year award.
The most hyped-up prospect since LeBron James himself, with a skillset at his size that is unlike anything we've ever seen. The hype has been like this since he was sixteen, and Wembanyama more than possesses the tools necessary to be a star in the NBA for years to come.
Most Improved Player: Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
The 2022-23 NBA season was a big disappointment for the Detroit Pistons. Winning just seventeen games, the Pistons were expected to land a top-three pick in the draft, yet fell to five in the NBA Draft Lottery. What bright spots could a team in this situation have?
Well, Detroit has a couple, with maybe the brightest spot being guard Jaden Ivey. In his rookie year, Ivey showed true combo-guard potential finishing third among all rookies in scoring, tying fourth for total steals, and leading in total assists.
Falling to the fifth spot could spell trouble for the Pistons but with an advanced role, and a great foundation to build on, Jaden Ivey could take the next step to become a top player in the NBA.
Sixth Man of the Year: Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
The benching of Cole Anthony was somewhat of a surprise, following an impressive sophomore season in 2022. But that didn't deter Anthony as he was very impressive off the bench for the Orlando Magic.
With shooting percentages of 45% from the field and 36% from three, Cole Anthony was very efficient in his new role off the bench and managed to put up excellent averages off the Bench.
The Orlando Magic have some bright young pieces on their roster and are poised to compete sooner rather than later. With a widened role off the bench, Cole Anthony could put himself in the discussion of best sixth men in the entire NBA.
Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers 50-32 record almost seemed like a letdown after the team traded for all-star guard Donovan Mitchell last offseason. The Cavs battled through injury for a good portion of the season and will surely head into 2023 with a chip on their shoulders after a quick playoff exit in a series many expected them to win.
If J.B. Bickerstaff can ready his guys into playing up to their potential as a high-fifty win team, he could be the team's first Coach of the Year award winner since Mike Brown back in 2009.
