NBA awards watch: Jokic, SGA in tense MVP duel
Welcome to a recurring look at the top contenders for the NBA's various individual awards.
Rookie of the Year
Queen's questionable athleticism made scouts wary but his footwork, touch, balance, vision, and pace are qualities that every team dreams of finding in a modern-day big. Queen operates as a hub for the Pelicans as a gifted passer while shooting over smaller defenders and operating around bigger ones. He's the only rookie averaging at least 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists. His greatest achievement might be temporarily erasing the memory of the Pelicans' inexcusable draft-day trade with the Hawks.
After a rocky start, Flagg is averaging 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Playing alongside Anthony Davis and assuming less ball-handling responsibilities have allowed Flagg to settle in. He's shooting fewer threes and getting to the rim more often. Flagg has a lethal floater game and efficiently operates in the mid-range. He scored a career-high 42 points in an overtime loss against the Jazz last week, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40.
Knueppel leads all rookies with 19.4 points on 47.4% shooting with a 41.9% mark from 3-point range (second to Steph Curry among players with at least 200 attempts) and a 89.5% clip from the free-throw line. Even for Knueppel believers, his emergence as an All-Star-caliber talent is a surprise. He's so much more than a shooter; he's showcased his playmaking chops and handle. He's capable of assuming roles as a ball-handler, screener, roller, cutter, and spot-up player. Knueppel is a challenge to guard because he constantly moves without the ball, snaking past screens to create openings.
Defensive Player of the Year
Amen Thompson and Scottie Barnes have legitimate cases as shutdown perimeter defenders, but this award historically goes to a big man. So we'll stay consistent with how the voters cast their ballots. Adebayo serves as the rim-protector for the NBA's fourth-best defense. He's finished in the top 10 in voting the last six years and in the top five in five out of the past six years. This could be the season he finally breaks through.
If Wembanyama reaches the 65-game requirement to be eligible, he'll win this award as the most impactful defender of this generation. However, having already missed 12 games, he can only miss five more and still qualify. It's hard to imagine he'll make the eligibility threshold considering his fragility over the past two seasons. The French phenom has 53 blocks on the season, second in the NBA to Jay Huff's 72, but Huff's played 13 more games. The Spurs have a 102.3 defensive rating when Wembanyama's on the floor, the league's best defense.
Holmgren serves as the anchor for the league's best defense. However, the Thunder's defense isn't just the NBA's stingiest; it's historically dominant, allowing six fewer points per 100 possessions than the next unit. It's Holmgren's versatility that makes him such a unique defender: He can protect the rim, efficiently rotate over to help, and switch out onto guards on the perimeter with his quick lateral movement. The Thunder are a juggernaut, and Holmgren's defense is a big reason why.
Most Improved Player
If Cade Cunningham is Detroit's engine, Duren is the fuel that powers the top-seeded Pistons. In his fourth season, he's developed into much more than a screen-setter and rim-runner. He's averaging 18.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, up from 11.8 points and 10.3 boards last season. Cunningham and Duren form one of the most efficient pick-and-rolls duos in the NBA. Duren scores 1.41 points per possession as the roll man, the second-best mark behind Holmgren. He can operate in the short roll and serve as a hub with his newfound ball-handling and passing skills, and he's increased his drives per game from 1.9 last season to 3.4 this season.
Johnson flashed his All-Star potential in 2024-25 before he suffered a season-ending injury 36 games into his campaign. Johnson has returned as an even more dangerous, well-rounded player. He's averaging 23.8 points per game (up from 18.9 last season), 10.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, making him one of two players posting at least 20 points, 10 boards, and eight assists. Nikola Jokic is the other. He's made the biggest leap as a playmaker after being tasked with initiating the Hawks' offense as a point forward during Trae Young's 22-game absence.
Avdija is one of seven players averaging at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He's the NBA's 17th-leading scorer at 25.5 points per game. That's nearly 10 points better than his 16.9 points per game last season. He's also almost doubled his assist average. The Trail Blazers forward has emerged as a decisive playmaker and three-level scorer, but his greatest strength is his ability to draw fouls. He's third in the NBA in free-throw attempts, and he's sinking 80.4% of them. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic take more shots from the stripe.
Sixth Man of the Year
Black has been a constant source of productivity for the Magic amid a flurry of key absences, especially with Jalen Suggs sidelined. Black is averaging career highs in points (14), rebounding (4.2), assists (3.4), and steals (1.3), and his 116.3 offensive rating is tops on the team among those playing at least 12 minutes a game. He boasts a plus-16.4 net rating in Orlando's 17 victories and delivers an authoritative mix of playmaking and wing defense.
Jaquez has heard the online chatter about his Sixth Man of the Year eligibility, though the third-year forward insists, "Focusing on winning is the most important part for me." A diplomatic response, though he deserves recognition for a bounce-back campaign following regression in 2024-25. Jaquez is averaging a career-high 15.9 points on tidy 51.8% shooting to pair with 5.5 boards and 4.7 assists in 29.8 minutes per game. Each of the last five winners of the award have been on teams with 52 or more wins, so the Heat will need to improve on their current .500 win percentage to help his chances.
Guards have traditionally dominated this award, winning 10 of the last 12 times. Sheppard's numbers have taken a massive leap in 2025-26, and he's shooting 45.3% from the field and 43.5% from deep, but that only tells part of the story. He's also a sharp passer and has been a menace at the defensive end: His four deflections per game are eighth in the league and he's developed a knack for pressuring ball-handlers with suffocating coverage. Sheppard is the youngest member of Ime Udoka's core, yet he consistently makes veteran-level decisions.
Most Valuable Player
The Lakers' succession plan for LeBron James' eventual retirement seems to be working out. Doncic leads the league in scoring (34.1) and is fifth in assists (8.8). He's averaging 8.6 rebounds, amounting to 51.5 total points-rebounds-assists per game - second only to Nikola Jokic (51.8). Still, it'll take something special for Doncic to finish better than third.
This might be a controversial take, but we have Thunder talisman and bookmakers' favorite Gilgeous-Alexander sitting just short of winning back-to-back MVPs. To his credit, he's second in the league in scoring (32.5) on a near-infallible 26-4 Thunder side that have the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors' record 73-win campaign in their sights. He's also doing it while shooting a career-best 55.7% from the field on only 33.4 minutes per game, the lowest mark of his seven-year Oklahoma City tenure. This one is almost too close to call.
The Thunder are on a historic run, but Jokic's 21-8 Nuggets are no slouches. Jokic is eighth in the league in scoring (28.9), first in rebounding (12) and assists (10.9), and on track to average a triple-double for a second successive season. He's also shooting 60.4% from the field and a career-best 43.1% from deep - astounding for someone who qualifies as a volume shooter. The Nuggets' ability to remain within touching distance of SGA and the Thunder will be a massive factor in determining whether Jokic becomes one of just six players to win MVP on four or more occasions.
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