Full List Of 2022-23 NBA Awards Finalists
Over the course of the NBA Playoffs we will not only witness greatness amongst the teams fighting for the rights to get to the NBA Finals, but we will also find out the recipients of this year’s NBA awards.
Throughout the next several weeks, TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs and on Friday, the NBA revealed the finalists for the six major end-of-season awards, as well as the finalists for this season’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award.
The finalists for these awards were determined based on the voting results of journalists and broadcasters covering the NBA nationwide.
2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player:
Finalists: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
We may very well be looking at the five players on this year’s All-NBA First Team with this MVP finalists list and this really should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been the three names jockeying for position in the MVP leaderboard all season long and in many people’s eyes, this award is still a toss-up.
Back-to-back league MVP Nikola Jokic had yet another strong showing for the Denver Nuggets this season, leading them to 53 wins for the first time since the 2018-19 season and claiming the 1-seed in the Western Conference.
In the Eastern Conference though, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the best record in the entire league and Joel Embiid won his second consecutive scoring title.
2022-23 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year:
Finalists: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz)
This year’s rookie class was full of key contributors, but Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler were the three that really stuck out all year long.
Banchero had himself a sensational rookie season and proved to everyone why he was the first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for four straight months since December, the Orlando Magic forward is the face of his franchise and absolutely a future All-Star.
Jalen Williams also had a terrific year with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is one of the main reasons they were able to get themselves into the Play-In Tournament despite being picked to finish near the bottom of the standings this season.
Filling the shoes left behind by Rudy Gobert on the Utah Jazz, Walker Kessler had arguably the best rookie season from a statistical and percentage standpoint. Kessler’s ability to not only block shots, but finish at a high rate in the paint is what makes him a unique and special player for the Jazz.
2022-23 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year:
Finalists: Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers), Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks)
The race for the Defensive Player of the Year award came down to the final week of the regular season a year ago and this season, the race is once again very tight. Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley and Brook Lopez are all worthy candidates for this award and they are all amongst the top shot-blockers in the NBA.
Jackson missed some games early on in the season, but his length and athleticism resulted in him leading the league in blocked shots per game with 3.0 blocks. He also led the entire league in defensive rating.
In Cleveland, Mobley took a massive jump on the defensive-side of the floor in his second season, finishing the year ranking ninth in blocks per game (1.5), sixth in total blocks (119) and first in defensive win shares.
The Milwaukee Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA and Lopez completely reinvented himself at 35-years-old to become one of the best shot-blockers in the entire NBA. Brook Lopez finished the year ranking first in total blocks (193), third in blocks per game (2.5) and tenth in defensive rating.
2022-23 Kia NBA Most Improved Player:
Finalists: Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
Nobody imagined the Utah Jazz being a possible playoff team at the start of the season, yet Lauri Markkanen put together a sensational year. Not only was Markkanen named a first time All-Star, but he finished inside the Top-12 in scoring and went from averaging 14.8 points per game in Cleveland a season ago to averaging 25.6 points per game in Utah this season.
In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also made his first All-Star appearance this season, he ranked fourth in the league in scoring and Gilgeous-Alexander led all players in the NBA in 30-point games this season, recording at least 30 points in 45 of the 68 games he played for the Thunder.
The New York Knicks are back in the playoffs and while Julius Randle had a lot to do with this, so did Jalen Brunson. Coming over from Dallas in the offseason, Brunson had a fantastic first season in the Big Apple, averaging 24.0 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting a career-high 41.6 percent from three-point range.
2022-23 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year:
Finalists: Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics), Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks)
For months, Malcolm Brogdon has been the frontrunner for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award, but Immanuel Quickley made a strong push for the award over the final four weeks or so of the regular season.
As for Malik Monk, he led the league in bench points this season and helped the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. All three players have had a great impact on their team’s success this year.
2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year:
Finalists: Mike Brown (Sacramento Kings), Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics), Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder)
There are three coaches listed for this year’s award, but Mike Brown is the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year. In his first season as head coach of the Kings, Brown led Sacramento to a 48-34 record and back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Joe Mazzulla did a fantastic job with the Boston Celtics in his first season taking over for Ime Udoka and Mark Daigneault also deserves recognition for the job he did with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the youngest team in the league, but Mike Brown will be taking this award and he could do so in unanimous decision.
2022-23 NBA Clutch Player of the Year:
Finalists: Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
The Clutch Player of the Year award is a new award that Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan and De'Aaron Fox will be in contention for.
Butler and DeRozan have both been known to be two of the most clutch performers in the league over the year, as De'Aaron Fox led all players in clutch-time scoring this season.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
