The 2022-23 NBA season is officially over, and the votes for the league’s regular season hardware are being tabulated for each of the Association’s major awards. Soon, the world will know who the 2023 Most Valuable Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year are among player awards.
With them will come Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year as well. Ahead of the official release of which players, coaches, and execs won what awards, our staff at USA TODAY’s NBA Wire sites put their heads together to try and prognosticate the results we think we’ll soon hear in official releases from the league.
So with all that said, these are our picks for the NBA’s 2023 regular season awards.
Rookie Wire ranked every team that qualified for the postseason following the conclusion of the regular season. https://t.co/tpdvcedjgf
— Rookie Wire (@RookieWire) April 11, 2023
Executive of the Year
Justin Quinn (Celtics Wire): It has to be Danny Ainge, right? Somehow, the former Celtics president managed to get people to forget how lopsided dealing with the now-Jazz top exec can end up being.
Once again, Trader Danny has managed to rebuild Utah on the fly, looking like a team that could be back in the postseason mix after just a season of some very light tanking, er — player development.
Robert Marvi (LeBron Wire): How about some love for Koby Altman of the Cleveland Cavaliers? He managed to land Donovan Mitchell when everyone thought the All-Star was headed to the New York Knicks, and with Mitchell elevating the Cavs from an upstart team to a dark horse contender, I think Altman deserves the award.
I also think some honorable mention should go to Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers for turning what seemed like a negative asset in Russell Westbrook into three very useful players who turned their season around.
Ky Carlin (Sixers Wire): I would say Monte McNair with the Kings, but he made his big move at the 2022 deadline with the Domantas Sabonis deal.
In this case, I’m going Koby Altman in Cleveland. That deal he pulled for Donovan Mitchell was terrific and it has the Cavs in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 in the LeBron James days. This is also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without James since 1998.
Sharif Phillips-Keaton (Nets Wire): Cleveland Cavaliers’ Koby Altman.
Getting Donovan Mitchell was huge for the Cavaliers this season as they have a two-headed monster of guards in Mitchell and Darius Garland that can rival any backcourt in the NBA. While Cleveland gave up a lot to get Mitchell, it resulted in 51 wins and a chance at winning a title.
Ben DuBose (Rockets Wire): How about Rockets GM Rafael Stone for getting a legitimate first-round draft asset for a 34-year-old Eric Gordon? Just kidding, though that was a very underrated and savvy move.
To me, the most impactful year from an executive perspective has clearly come from Cleveland. They steadily accumulated draft capital over the years, and with young prospects Darius Garland and Evan Mobley coming into their own, Koby Altman correctly concluded that this was the right time to cash in his assets on the trade market to acquire Donovan Mitchell.
With that, a franchise whose only success over the previous 20-plus years came thanks to LeBron James has suddenly emerged into what appears to be a sustainable Eastern Conference contender.
Cody Taylor (Rookie Wire): Koby Altman of the Cavaliers has put together quite a roster in Cleveland. Of course, acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz helped matters, but the team has drafted well and has several cornerstone players to build around. He deserves a ton of credit and has my vote for the award.
Winner: Koby Altman (Cleveland Cavaliers), 5-1
Coach of the Year
Quinn: For me, it’s hard to give this to anyone but Mike Brown for his job getting the Sacramento Kings back to the postseason after the league’s longest drought.
It’d have been easy to go with Joe Mazzulla or Will Hardy here for their work with the Celtics and Jazz respectively, but Brown has done more than revive the Kings; he’s set them up to be good in the future as well.
Marvi: Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings has to be the run-away winner of the Coach of the Year. Not too many expected them to make the playoffs, let alone finish third in the Western Conference, and he has really grown as a head coach since his days with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks also deserves lots of consideration, as they have been the NBA’s other big surprise and feel-good story.
Carlin: It’s Mike Brown. There isn’t much competition. The Sacramento Kings were a franchise with no direction and it looked like they would never make the postseason again before Brown took over the helm.
The last time this team saw postseason basketball was during the days of Mike Bibby and Metta World Peace (Ron Artest in 2006). Brown is the clear Coach of the Year winner.
Almanza: Helping the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since I was in elementary school, Mike Brown will easily win this award, and all the reasons why have already been laid out by my colleagues.
Instead, I’ll use my spot at the table to praise the job Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has done – who will likely finish runner-up to Brown. OKC’s 16-win improvement is second in the league, behind the Kings. The fact Daigneault coached the youngest team in the NBA to the postseason deserves high praise and speaks brightly of his future.
Phillips-Keaton: Sacramento’s Mike Brown. What he has done this season for the Kings has been almost unexplainable in terms of the impact. Not only have the Kings been a constant presence on NBA Twitter in terms of lighting the beam, but they have made it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Brown has shown that a team led by guys like Domantas Sabonis and DeAaron Fox can be competitive despite any preconceived notions that the NBA world had on either of those players just as recently as last season.
Tommy Call (Warriors Wire): What Mike Brown has done in his first season in Sacramento is deserving of his second Coach of the Year award.
Not only has the former Golden State assistant coached De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Kevin Huerter to career-high statistical seasons, Brown has engineered one of the best offense in the NBA on the way to lighting the beam.
Along with helping lead the Kings to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Brown has been the steady voice to help erase the narrative and provide confidence to Sacramento’s core
Taylor: Mike Brown should be the front-runner after leading the Kings back into the postseason for the first time since 2006.
They boasted the top offense in the league and had two players named All-Stars, making Brown an easy choice. However, Mark Daigneault of the Thunder and Joe Mazzulla should also receive some recognition.
DuBose: I’ll make it unanimous. At the team level, Sacramento’s rise back to NBA prominence after 16 long years was the biggest story of the 2022-23 season. They deserve to be recognized, and no one more so than Mike Brown as the leadership voice.
Monte McNair deserves praise, too, but his biggest move from a front office perspective was trading for Domantas Sabonis – which happened at the 2021-22 deadline.
Winner: Mike Brown (Sacramento Kings), 8-0
Rookie of the Year
Taylor: The answer is Paolo Banchero and it shouldn’t even be close. Banchero has been the top overall rookie from the start of the season and did so as the No. 1 option on the Magic.
Jalen Williams tops Banchero in shooting percentages but did so as the third-leading scorer on the team behind Josh Giddey and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Banchero put up an incredible rookie campaign and should become the third player in team history to win the award (Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Miller).
Dubose: Paolo Banchero has controlled the narrative after his hot start in October and November, and I do expect him to win… but he’s been an inefficient volume scorer for most of the remaining months.
That’s to be expected of a rookie, of course, and it’s not a huge red flag or indictment regarding his future. But Jalen Williams has been much more efficient, and he’s done it on a team that played in far more pressure-packed environments as a result of Oklahoma City’s play-in push. He gets my vote.
Almanza: It’s an uphill battle, but I’ll go for the upset and pick Jalen Williams to steal the award from Paolo Banchero last minute. While Banchero has the counting stats, advanced analytics love Williams as he’s enjoying one of the most efficient scoring seasons by a rookie ever – as a wing!
Williams has essentially been the second-best player on a top-10 team and that merits Rookie of the Year despite not having the traditional stats to back it up.
Phillips-Keaton: I understand that this is a boring answer, but my vote goes to Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic. He has looked like he belongs in the NBA from the first game of this season and he was a big part of the Magic being better than anticipated.
Banchero has shown more of his ball-handling skill set as this season has gone on and that only reinforces the notion that he will be an All-Star soon.
Marvi: It’s hard to argue against Paolo Banchero. He has put up better numbers than any other rookie this season, and he has given the Orlando Magic a glimmer of hope for the future.
One has to wonder how much better he can get in just a couple of years when he will still be far from his prime years.
Carlin: While Jalen Williams out in OKC came on strong and he had an overall very nice season for the Thunder, it’s tough to justify not giving it to Paolo Banchero.
He averaged 20 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists for the Magic and it looks like he’s ready to lead Orlando to their next era. He’s a guy the Magic can build around.
Quinn: I wouldn’t fault anyone for going with any of several worthy candidates in the mix for the award, but for me, the answer is very clearly Paolo Banchero.
Though his hot start may have cooled with the arc of the Orlando Magic, his rookie averages of 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game are a mere hint of the player he could become — and he is already very good.
Winner: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), 5-2
Defensive Player of the Year
Carlin: I have to give it to Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis. The way he’s anchored the defense of the Grizzlies has been so impressive and he has taken it to another level with Steven Adams off the floor.
The ground he covers when defending the pick-and-roll as well as his ability to come up with some timely blocks is so impressive. He has to be the guy this time around. Brook Lopez and Bam Adebayo have some legitimate cases, but JJJ has been terrific.
Quinn: This race seems to be down to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez.
And though the Bucks have the better record, Jackson has been more critical to keeping his team afloat on that end with multiple, key frontcourt players out for extended stretches this season, and thus takes the award for me by a nose.
Phillips-Keaton: Brook Lopez. Lopez has been neck-and-neck with the Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. for most of the season.
While Jackson Jr. has been impressive on the defensive end, Lopez has also been the anchor of a Milwaukee Bucks defense that has a defensive rating of 108.9 when he is on the court versus 117.4 when he is on the bench (8.5 point difference). The Grizzlies are just 4.9 points better on the defensive end with JJJ on the floor.
Call: Brook Lopez. Alongside the art of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lopez has been the steady anchor during Milwaukee’s run to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
At age 35, Lopez looks rejuvenated while holding down Milwaukee’s frontcourt. In his 14th season in the league, Lopez has found a way to lead the association in blocks.
DuBose: It’s very close between Lopez and Jackson, but it’s worth noting that Lopez has significant frontcourt support in the form of Antetokounmpo, which greatly simplifies his defensive responsibilities as a rim protector.
The burden for Jackson in Memphis is slightly higher, so I’ll go with that as a tiebreaker.
Taylor: Jaren Jackson Jr. should be the choice this season. He has led the league in blocks (3.0) in back-to-back seasons and did so this year playing in 13 fewer games than Nic Claxton and Brook Lopez, who were tied for second.
His mere presence in the paint helped alter several other shots on a nightly basis, which was a major factor in the Grizzlies ranking third in the NBA in defense.
Winner: Jaren Jackson, Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), 4-2
Sixth Man of the Year
Quinn: Call me biased if you like, but Malcolm Brogdon should have this award sewn up.
Immanuel Quickley became the name du jour for a few weeks when the New York Knicks got hot, but there has not been a better — or more consistent — player coming off the bench in the NBA this season.
Marvi: I would also have to go with Malcolm Brogdon. Last season, the Boston Celtics’ bench was frightfully anemic, but this season, their bench has been adequate, and it’s all been because of Brogdon.
He should give Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown the type of respite in the playoffs they haven’t had.
Carlin: It has to be Malcolm Brogdon. The way he has helped Boston’s bench unit has been immeasurable and the Celtics have been able to lean on him all season when the starters get off to a slow start.
This award seems as if it’s Brogdon’s to lose.
Phillips-Keaton: Just for the sake of offering a different answer, I choose Immanuel Quickley. Quickley averages the same amount of points per game as Brogdon, played in more games than Brogdon, and has played a crucial part in the New York Knicks being taken seriously this season.
Brogdon has had a great season as well, but Quickley has shown this season that he could be a lead guard if given the chance.
Call: Malcolm Brogdon could be the missing piece to push the Celtics to a championship while helping solidify their second unit. However, Immanuel Quickley’s rise in the Big Apple is hard to ignore.
Along with the arrival of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle’s evolution, the former Kentucky guard has fueled the Knicks’ trajectory to a serious player in the Eastern Conference. Quickley’s jump in year three feels like a preview of what’s to come for the savvy New York guard.
DuBose: I’m biased after watching Quickley torch Houston in late March for a career-high 40 points on outstanding efficiency.
On a New York squad that took a big step forward despite not having any truly elite players, his year-three leap shouldn’t be overlooked as a key factor on a better-than-expected team.
Taylor: With a few worthy candidates to choose from, Malcolm Brogdon should be the choice among voters this year. He is third in total scoring off the bench this season and is a key reason why the Celtics have been one of the top teams in the league.
Brogdon has given the Celtics’ second unit stability and gives the group yet another defender that can score when needed.
Winner: Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics), 4-3
Most Valuable Player
Quinn: This one could go any of three ways with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo all having made very good cases to repeat as MVP.
But a first-time winner ought to take home the award given Joel Embiid has been almost unstoppable over the last third of the season as the clear leader of a race that was neck-and-neck before he took it over.
Marvi: I’m a fan of all three main candidates: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But despite the incredible seasons the first two candidates had, I still think Antetokounmpo is the best player in the world and deserving of the MVP.
His Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the NBA, and his defensive versatility is the deciding factor for me, as is the eye test, which shows the immense impact he makes without needing teammates to set him up.
Carlin: It’s Embiid. The big fella led the league in scoring for the second straight season and has thrown the Sixers on his back on plenty of occasions.
The impact he has on both ends of the floor is just on a ridiculous level for Philadelphia. The other two candidates, Jokic and Antetokounmpo, are just as worthy, but this seems like it’s Embiid’s time.
Phillips-Keaton: Any choice out of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a great decision. However, I am putting my vote on Embiid.
He has been absolutely dominant as he is averaging 33.1 PPG (1st in the NBA), 10.2 RPG (8th), and 1.7 BPG (7th) while shooting 54.8% from the field and 33% from three-point land. Philadelphia has the third-best record in the league and it’s primarily because of Embiid.
Almanza: Over the last few weeks, momentum has shifted towards Joel Embiid. Nikola Jokic was leading the MVP race for most of the season, but the Sixers center has surpassed him.
With that said though, I think it’s my responsibility to shout out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the type of season he’s had – averaging over 31 points on 62 true-shooting percentage is insane for a non-big.
Call: While both Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are worthy of leading the MVP conversation, Giannis Antetokounmpo seems to be the missing piece of the equation.
When looking at Antetokounmpo’s career-high offensive numbers and high usage rate paired with leading the Bucks to the best record in the NBA, the only reason to leave Antetokounmpo off the top of the MVP ballot could be fatigue. While Jokic and Embiid are well deserving of an MVP trophy this season, Antetokounmpo has been that special this season.
DuBose: Antetokounmpo is the best player on the league’s best team, and in an increasingly positionless NBA, the value of his defensive versatility can’t be understated late in close games.
It’s a tough call, and voter fatigue will likely prevent him from winning the award for a third time, but give me the Greek Freak.
Taylor: Voters legitimately have a tough decision to make this year as there is no real wrong answer. However, I think Nikola Jokic has proven to be the top player for his team and believe that the Joker should win for a third straight year.
The team is 5-8 without Jokic this season, further showing his importance. While Jokic has the likes of Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. by his side, he is still the motor that makes it all go together.
Winner: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers); Embiid (4); Antetokounmpo (3), Jokic (1)
