Latest news with #NBARookiesoftheYear
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Awards predictions: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and more
The NBA announced this season's awards finalists on Sunday. Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a lock to win his first MVP award? At the end of the season, we asked our 10-person NBA voting panel to predict the winner for each individual award. Here were the results: Voting breakdownStephon Castle, Spurs: 100% Back-to-back NBA Rookies of the Year in San Antonio? A year after Victor Wembanyama took home the award, it appears Castle is on his way to becoming the fourth Spur to receive the top rookie honor (Tim Duncan and David Robinson also won the award in 1998 and 1990, respectively). The No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft received every single one of our panel's votes. While the rookie class as a whole has been underwhelming, Castle had a strong first year. He led all rookies in points and field goals made, as well as steals, showing his two-way potential. The future is bright in San Antonio. Voting breakdownKenny Atkinson, Cavaliers: 80%J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons: 10%Mark Daigneault, Thunder: 10% The Coach of the Year race is typically one of the hardest awards to predict, given the number of standout candidates every year. Kenny Atkinson, in his first year in Cleveland, led the Cavs to the East's No. 1 seed, with his team jumping out to a 15-0 start to the season. J.B. Bickerstaff, in his first year in Detroit, led the franchise to a historic turnaround; after finishing last season with the NBA's worst record at 14-68, the Pistons won 44 games in '24-25 and made the playoffs. Meanwhile, Mark Daigneault led the Thunder to a franchise-best 68 wins, an NBA-best 12.7 net rating and the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, yet he wasn't named one of the three finalists for the award. Ultimately, our voters see Atkinson's work on the sidelines being rewarded. Voting breakdown Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: 60%Draymond Green, Warriors: 40% With Victor Wembanyama's season ending early due to a blood clot, the race has been wide open since the All-Star break. Heading into the final days of the season, it appeared it could come down to: Evan Mobley vs. Draymond Green. Mobley, who was named to the All-Defensive First Team in '22-23, has been the defensive anchor for a dominant Cleveland team this season. Green, meanwhile, had been making his case (on and off the court) as the Warriors' do-everything defender. In the latest BetMGM odds, Green (-500) had actually pulled ahead of Mobley (+400). This could be too close to call. Voting breakdownPayton Pritchard, Celtics: 90%Malik Beasley, Pistons: 10% The defending champion Celtics appear to be a lock to bring home more hardware this season. Our panel sees Pritchard winning the Sixth Man award with ease, with the fifth-year guard averaging 14.3 points and 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes off the bench for the Celtics, while shooting 40.7% from 3. Pritchard would become the fourth Celtic to win the Sixth Man award, joining Malcolm Brogdon (2023), Bill Walton (1986) and Kevin McHale (1984 and 1985). Voting breakdownDyson Daniels, Hawks: 70%Cade Cunningham, Pistons: 20%Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers: 10% A candidate for DPOY, Daniels appears to have a better shot at the Most Improved Player award. After being traded from New Orleans as part of the Dejounte Murray deal last summer, the third-year guard had a breakout season in Atlanta, leading the league in steals (3.0), but also improving as a scorer. Daniels averaged a career-high 14.1 PPG and shot a career-high 49.3% from the field. Cunningham received votes for his impressive season in Detroit, earning his first All-Star selection and leading the Pistons to the playoffs. Avdija turned heads with his play in Portland this season, averaging 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Blazers. He wasn't named a finalist of the award. Voting breakdownJalen Brunson, Knicks: 60% Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 20%Stephen Curry, Warriors: 10%Darius Garland, Cavaliers: 10% Yes, the Clutch Award is still on the ballot. In its third year, the award seeks to celebrate the player who performs the best in high-pressure moments. This season, Brunson led the league in points per game and field goals per game during crunch time — defined by the NBA as the final five minutes of a game with the score being within five points. Voting breakdownShai Gilgeous-Alexander: 90%Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 10% As you might've heard by now, this year's MVP race was one of the best contests ever — it just might not be all that close. While Jokić had arguably the best statistical season in NBA history, SGA appears to be running away with his first MVP award. Last year's MVP runner-up, Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City to the best record in the NBA — and an 18-game lead over Jokić's Nuggets in the standings. If he wins, SGA will become the first guard to earn MVP honors since James Harden in 2018. Interestingly enough, when we posed the question to our panel on who win the MVP award (not who win), the results were much closer: 60% for SGA to 40% for Jokić. Co-MVPs, anyone?
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA rumors: Insider links Boston Celtics to trade for top 3 draft pick from specfic team this summer
A notable NBA insider believes one of the top picks in next month's NBA Draft could be in play for the Boston Celtics this summer in a rumored trade to slash payroll. The Celtics are one loss away from the inevitable breakup of the team that brought the franchise their 18th NBA title last June. The organization has a salary cap reckoning coming this summer due to the huge tax bill they will have next season. And the team's new owner is expected to cut costs and move a bunch of salaries in offseason trades. Advertisement It seems like everyone but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be up for grabs. And on Tuesday, ESPN NBA insider Marc Spears claimed the San Antonio Spurs could be sniffing around Boston's talent this summer and might even offer up the third overall pick in next month's NBA Draft. Related: Boston Celtics game today – Get details on the upcoming Celtics schedule 'They've got the number two pick. And I'm told the Spurs are quite happy with the talent that's available at No. 2. But they're going to explore potential trades as well,' he said on 'Sportscenter.' The Spurs have had the last two NBA Rookies of the Year. However, assuming Victor Wembanyama returns healthy from the blood clot in his shoulder, they will expect to take a leap forward and make the playoffs next season. Several Celtics players could help achieve that goal. And Boston's management would very much be interested in their picks at No. 2 and 14 in Round 1. Ime Udoka could look to reunite with former Boston Celtics players Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Spurs aren't the only team Spears believes will try and poach talent from Boston. He also suggested that the team's former head coach, Ime Udoka, could be looking to reunite with certain players in Houston. Advertisement 'Ime Udoka's there. They've been rumored to want to upgrade their roster. He knows these guys, and they probably would be attracted to return to play with him,' Spears said. The Rockets have been linked to a potential trade for Kevin Durant. However, management seems to like their young talent. They could certainly pass on giving up some of them for a big name. And instead, look to add strong veterans around them. Similar to what they did when they added Fred VanVleet two summers ago. Also Read:: Losing to New York Knicks could break up Boston Celtics' core
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Awards predictions: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and more
With only a few days left in the NBA's regular season, it's time to take a final look at the awards races. Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a lock to win his first MVP award? What other contests are still up for grabs? We asked our 10-person NBA voting panel to predict the winner for each individual award. Here are the results: Who will win Rookie of the Year? Voting breakdown Stephon Castle, Spurs: 100% Advertisement Back-to-back NBA Rookies of the Year in San Antonio? A year after Victor Wembanyama took home the award, it appears Castle is on his way to becoming the fourth Spur to receive the top rookie honor (Tim Duncan and David Robinson also won the award in 1998 and 1990, respectively). The No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft received every single one of our panel's votes. While the rookie class as a whole has been underwhelming, Castle has had a strong first year. He leads all rookies in points and field goals made, as well as steals, showing his two-way potential. The future is bright in San Antonio. (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports Illustration) Who will win Coach of the Year? Voting breakdown Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers: 80% J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons: 10% Mark Daigneault, Thunder: 10% Advertisement The Coach of the Year race is typically one of the hardest awards to predict, given the number of standout candidates every year. Kenny Atkinson, in his first year in Cleveland, has led the Cavs to the East's No. 1 seed, with his team jumping out to a 15-0 start to the season. J.B. Bickerstaff, in his first year in Detroit, has led the franchise to a historic turnaround; after finishing last season with the NBA's worst record at 14-68, the Pistons have won 43 games in '24-25 and are headed to the playoffs. Meanwhile, Mark Daigneault has led the Thunder to a franchise-best 66 wins, an NBA-best 12.4 net rating and the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. Ultimately, our voters see Atkinson's work on the sidelines being rewarded. Who will win Defensive Player of the Year? Voting breakdown Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: 60% Draymond Green, Warriors: 40% Advertisement If there's one race to keep an eye on down the stretch, it's for DPOY. With Victor Wembanyama's season ending early due to a blood clot, the race has been wide open since the All-Star break. Heading into the final days of the season, it appears it could come down to: Evan Mobley vs. Draymond Green. Mobley, who was named to the All-Defensive First Team in '22-23, has been the defensive anchor for a dominant Cleveland team this season. Green, meanwhile, has been making his case of late (on and off the court) as the Warriors' do-everything defender. In the latest BetMGM odds, Green (-500) has actually pulled ahead of Mobley (+400). With three games remaining for Cleveland, and two remaining for Golden State, this could be too close to call. Who will win Sixth Man of the Year? Voting breakdown Payton Pritchard, Celtics: 90% Malik Beasley, Pistons: 10% Advertisement The defending champion Celtics appear to be a lock to bring home more hardware this season. Our panel sees Pritchard winning the Sixth Man award with ease, with the fifth-year guard averaging 13.9 points and 3.4 assists in 28.3 minutes off the bench for the Celtics, while shooting 40.6% from 3. Pritchard would become the fourth Celtic to win the Sixth Man award, joining Malcolm Brogdon (2023), Bill Walton (1986) and Kevin McHale (1984 and 1985). Who will win Most Improved Player? Voting breakdown Dyson Daniels, Hawks: 70% Cade Cunningham, Pistons: 20% Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers: 10% A candidate for DPOY, Daniels appears to have a better shot at the Most Improved Player award. After being traded from New Orleans as part of the Dejounte Murray deal last summer, the third-year guard has had a breakout season in Atlanta, leading the league in steals (3.0), but also improving as a scorer. Daniels is averaging a career-high 14.3 PPG and shooting a career-high 49.5% from the field. Advertisement Cunningham received votes for his impressive season in Detroit, earning his first All-Star selection and leading the Pistons to the playoffs. Avdija has turned heads with his play in Portland this season, averaging 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Blazers. Who will win Clutch Player of the Year? Voting breakdown Jalen Brunson, Knicks: 60% Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 20% Stephen Curry, Warriors: 10% Darius Garland, Cavaliers: 10% Yes, the Clutch Award is still on the ballot. In its third year, the award seeks to celebrate the player who performs the best in high-pressure moments. This season, Brunson leads the league in points per game and field goals per game during crunch time — defined by the NBA as the final five minutes of a game with the score being within five points. One thing to watch: Brunson needs to play two of the Knicks' final three games to be eligible for the award. Who will win Most Valuable Player? Voting breakdown Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 90% Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 10% Advertisement As you might've heard by now, this year's MVP race has been one of the best contests ever — it just might not be all that close. While Jokić is having the best statistical season in NBA history, SGA appears to be running away with his first MVP award. Last year's MVP runner-up, Gilgeous-Alexander has led Oklahoma City to the best record in the NBA — and an 18-game lead over Jokić's Nuggets in the standings. If he wins, SGA will become the first guard to earn MVP honors since James Harden in 2018. Interestingly enough, when we posed the question to our panel on who should win the MVP award (not who will win), the results were much closer: 60% for SGA to 40% for Jokić. Co-MVPs, anyone?
