It’s never too early to start talking about NBA awards. Especially when you’re adding a twist.
Rather than run through the usual predictions in each category, we’re going to spotlight three different types of candidates worth monitoring for every honor:
- The Favorite: The player you should expect to see atop most preseason predictions.
- The Sleeper: Someone on the fringes of the discussion who would not appear in the top five of (most) preseason ballots.
- The Wild Card: Anyone who wouldn’t be cameoing in one of the top 10 spots if we tallied up the necessary point totals on preseason ballots.
And let’s keep this exercise realistic.
The Favorite: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Kudos to anyone who picks someone other than Flagg to win Rookie of the Year. You’re braver than I and just about any NBA prognosticator.
It’s possible Flagg’s offensive performance could be rough—Mavs head coach Jason Kidd plans to have him run point in Kyrie Irving’s absence. The production will be there, as will the defensive playmaking. This feels like a lock.
The Sleeper: Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
Anyone who isn’t Cooper Flagg qualifies as a sleeper. The next most popular pick after him will probably be Ace Bailey. But Tre Johnson’s shooting and overall scoring acumen will be a boon for a Wizards offense still searching for its primary bucket-getter.
The Wild Card: Egor Dёmin, Brooklyn Nets
Demin quelled some of the draft-night “Really? Him?!?” reactions by proving he can work away from the ball on offense during summer league. Even after the Nets selected a trillion potential creators in the first round, he’ll have a prominent role that translates to standout scoring and assist averages.
The Favorite: De’Andre Hunter/Max Strus, Cleveland Cavaliers
Sixth Man of the Year is no longer as heavily geared toward microwave scorers. Volume bucket-getting still piques attention, but voters are now just as likely to recognize critical bench players for good teams. Having a realistic path to closing games helps, too.
Whichever Cavs wing doesn’t start belongs here. Hunter filled that role last year. Strus’ inclusion is a safeguard in case head coach Kenny Atkinson changes things up.
The Sleeper: Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Pippen is a solid offensive steward who has shot the three-ball well each of the past two seasons while playing feisty defense. He would rank higher in the pecking order if not for Ty Jerome’s arrival potentially infringing on his role. There is also the possibility that Pippen gets too many starts if Ja Morant misses time.
The Wild Card: Josh Hart, New York Knicks
Nothing screams “Wild Card!” like picking someone who started in each of his 77 regular-season games last year. Then-Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau eventually moved him to the bench during the playoffs in favor of a dual-big arrangement with Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Current head honcho Mike Brown may be destined to do the same if New York did, in fact, prioritize Guerschon Yabusele during free agency because of his versatility off the pine behind a two-center starting five.
