Author: Isaac Mills

MADISON – As the NBA season is less than two weeks away, here are my predictions for who is going to win the regular season awards.

Most Valuable Player- Giannis Antetokounmpo. Coming off of back-to-back MVP seasons, Giannis is looking to make history by being the first player to win three straight since Larry Bird. Giannis just turned 26-years-old and already has taken the league by storm. By adding Jrue Holiday, it is evident that Giannis will have an even better season as he has improved every year since joining back in 2013. I see Giannis going over the 30 point per game threshold, while still averaging his double-digit rebounds and six assists a game.

Defensive Player of the Year- Joel Embiid. This is a sleeper pick, with Joel averaging almost two blocks and one steal a game in his career, it would be interesting to see if he's able to take that next step defensively. Joel is a force down low and with the support of his new teammates such as Seth Curry and Danny Green, Embiid may not be forced to score as much as he has in the past. This gives him a changed role of a dominant big-man. I see Embiid going over two blocks, one steal, and twelve rebounds this season and getting the DPOY.

Rookie of the Year- Tyrese Haliburton. Selected way lower than every draft expert had him, the Wisconsin native will look to prove himself this season. The Kings fast-paced offense is one that Haliburton could succeed in with his quickness and top tier passing ability. Combine that with the fastest player in the league in De'Aaron Fox, Haliburton has a chance to be a part of the best young backcourts in the league.

Sixth Man of the Year- Dennis Schröder. Schröder joins last year's NBA Champions while having a great season himself. Dennis has a real chance to be the Sixth man of the year, due to the fact that the Lakers have very little guard play and he will most likely run the second unit. Just like last season, he will be the best player in that second unit, along with even better players than last season. It also helps that he is in LA and getting more media attention drawn towards him, along with the most televised games. Dennis will be one of the finalists for the sixth man of the year by the end of the season.

Most Improved- Christian Wood. Coming off of his best season yet, Wood has gone from bouncing around different G-league teams to starting alongside multiple superstars in Wall, Harden, and Cousins. If the Rockets continue their fast-paced playstyle, Wood should be able to flourish into the stretch-four he has drafted to become. Last season he almost shot 40% from three, which in the Rockets playstyle he will be able to shoot more and get more open looks. Don't be surprised if we see Christian Wood's name is mentioned in this category.

Coach of the Year- Steve Nash. Steve Nash was arguably one of the best point guards of the 2000s, Steve Nash comes into one of the best situations as a coach with both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on his team. Add this to the fact that the Nets were the seven seed last year, the team will improve drastically being in the competition to win the east.