The 78th NBA season came to a finish on April 13, after a thrilling last game between the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets, where Denver came up on top, winning 126–111.
This was a season to remember for the Western Conference, with eight teams in the West finishing with 45 or more wins, and the top team, the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder, finishing on top with a 68–14 record, good for the best in the NBA also having their best player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the Most Valuable Player award. While that’s a solid record, they only lead by 4 games to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished with a 64–18 record and had Coach Kenny Atkinson win the prestigious Coach of the Year award.
For individual player stats, OKC’s Gilgeous-Alexander took the scoring title, averaging a staggering 32.7 points per game. Atlanta’s Trae Young took the assist title, averaging a historic 11.2 assists per game. An end-of-season award is one of the most prestigious honors an NBA player can receive throughout their career.
The NBA presents six key awards at the end of the season: MVP (Most Valuable Player), Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Coach of the Year.
Before they announced Gilgeous-Alexander of the OKC Thunder as MVP, it had been narrowed down to three finalists: Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Jokic already had three MVPs in the last four years, with one coming last year. If he had won his fourth this year, he would have been tied with some all-time NBA greats, like LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Bill Russell—all Hall of Famers, and arguably the greatest players to pick up a basketball.
Antetokounmpo has two MVPs already, won back to back in 2019 and 2020. While Gilgeous-Alexander had never won the award before, he surely made a case for himself this year.
Next up is the Defensive Player of the Year. The finalists for this award were Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks, and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.
The award ended up going to Mobley. This was his first time winning the award and also the first award of his career. Mobley averaged 18.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks throughout the season.
The next award is the Sixth Man of the Year. This award goes to the best player who came off the bench throughout the year. This year’s finalists were Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics, Malik Beasley of the Detroit Pistons, and Ty Jerome of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The award went to Pritchard after averaging an impressive 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game; for a sixth man, that is a stat line to be recognized. This marks Pritchard’s first award of his career after a major career resurgence in 2024, when he was a key piece to the Celtics’ championship team.
The Most Improved Player award is one that isn’t talked about as much but is still one that should be recognized. This award goes to the player who improved the most from the previous season. This year’s finalists were Ivicia Zubac of the L.A. Clippers, Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks, and Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons. The award ultimately went to Daniels, making up for his loss as the Defensive Player of the Year. Daniels had a year to remember, going from a role player to one of the most prominent perimeter defenders in the league. This year, he averaged 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 3 steals a game. He also did this while shooting 49 percent from the field, compared to last season’s stats, where he averaged only 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. This season he
was also awarded with one of the NBA’s best nicknames, “The Great Barrier Thief,” because of his stealing ability and perimeter defense.
The next award is the Rookie of the Year award. This award goes to the rookie who performed the best this season. The contenders were Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs, Zacharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks, and Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies. The award went to Castle, who averaged an imposing 14 points, 3.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. This also marks the second consecutive year in a row the Spurs have had the ROTY—last year with Victor Wenbanyama.
The final award is Coach of the Year, which honors the best coach of this season. The finalists this year were Kenny Atkinson of the Cavs, J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, and Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets. The award was given to Kenny Atkinson, as in his first year with Cleveland, he led the Cavs to a 64–18 record, good for best record in the East and second best in the NBA.
