SANTA MONICA, CA – JUNE 25: (L-R) Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley speak onstage at the 2018 NBA Awards at Barkar Hangar on June 25, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
The postseason is underway and the league has officially announced finalists for all the 2022 NBA awards. Winners will be announced over the next few weeks.
The NBA playoffs have officially started and the NBA has announced the finalists for the six award major categories for the 2022 season. The finalists were announced on Sunday for MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
While we don’t know the winners yet, three finalists for each category of the NBA awards were determined by media vote. Here is the complete list of award finalists.
MVP
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Joel Embiid
- Nikola Jokic
Rookie of the Year
- Scottie Barnes
- Cade Cunningham
- Evan Mobley
Sixth Man of the Year
- Tyler Herro
- Cam Johnson
- Kevin Love
Defensive Player of the Year
- Mikal Bridges
- Rudy Gobert
- Marcus Smart
Most Improved Player
- Darius Garland
- Ja Morant
- Dejounte Murray
Coach of the Year
- Taylor Jenkins
- Erik Spoelstra
- Monty Williams
While there are notable names for each category, the fight for MVP has fans on the edge of their seats. This season, the battle for MVP has had several contenders that have strong cases, but the trio of Antetounmpo, Jokic, and Emiid have made it clear they are end of the season favorites.
Jokic is on track to a repeat win of MVP this year after averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while leading the Nuggets team this season, while missing key players Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. almost all of the season. Antetounmpo and Embiid have better chances to win the championship this season, but the regular-season performances of each are what will determine who will come out on top.
For the other five categories, there are fan favorites that are expected to win their awards such as Smart for Defensive Player of the Year, Williams for Coach of the Year, and Morant for Most Improved Player. The Rookie of the Year race is still very tight.