Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA is one step closer to handing out the MVP and other awards for the 2021-22 season.
The finalists for the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year and Coach of the Year were announced on Sunday’s episode of TNT’s NBA Tip-Off.
Here is a look at the list of finalists.
MVP
- Nikola Jokic, DEN
- Joel Embiid, PHI
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
Defensive Player of the Year
- Mikal Bridges, PHO
- Rudy Gobert, UTA
- Marcus Smart, BOS
Rookie of the Year
- Scottie Barnes, TOR
- Cade Cunningham, DET
- Evan Mobley, CLE
Most Improved Player
- Darius Garland, CLE
- Ja Morant, MEM
- Dejounte Murray, SAS
Sixth Man of the Year
- Tyler Herro, MIA
- Cameron Johnson, PHO
- Kevin Love, CLE
Coach of the Year
- Taylor Jenkins, MEM
- Erik Spoelstra, MIA
- Monty Williams, PHO
While there are notable names in each list of finalists, there is a reason the MVP race is the headliner.
After all, it has been a heated battle with contenders such as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan and others all having stretches where they seized momentum.
Yet the trio of Jokic, Embiid and Antetokounmpo emerged by the end of the season as the three clear-cut favorites.
Embiid and Antetokounmpo likely have better championship chances at this point, but Jokic seems to be on track to take home his second straight MVP after averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game while leading a Nuggets team that was missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. for all but nine games this season.
The Denver star is No. 1 on Michael C. Wright’s MVP Ladder for NBA.com after becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a single season.
That, along with his ability to carry a depleted Nuggets team to a 48-34 record and the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, means he is primed to defend his MVP crown despite strong challenges from Embiid and Antetokounmpo that likely would have been enough to win the award in a typical season.
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