With the NBA regular season coming to an end, it’s a good time to assess which players deserve some hardware for their outstanding individual success. The NBA Award Show isn’t until June 24th, but here are my picks for who should win each award.

Most Valuable Player – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis has had an incredible season leading his team to the best record in the NBA. The Greek Freak solidified himself as a top 5 NBA player this year with his hardwork and insane athleticism at the size of 6’11”. His statline of 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists isn’t too shabby either. They only argument that critics would have against giving the MVP to Giannis: James Harden. Harden had an outstanding year also averaging over 36 points per game. However, Harden doesn’t play good defense, especially compared to Giannis. In addition, almost every play the Rockets run goes through Harden so he attempts 25 shots a game. I believe if Giannis had the ball in his hands as much as Hraden, he could average close to 36 points a game as well.

Rookie of the Year- Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic came into the NBA at age 19 this season and lit it up. He put up fantastic numbers including 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Luka also showed that he is clutch by scoring multiple game-winning and game-tying shots for his team in his rookie season. The only player that that gives Doncic any competition for this award is Trae Young, who is putting up 19.1 points and 8.1 assists. However, Trae has a slow start to his season while Luka has been playing well all year. In addition, Luka is more efficient and is more valuable to his team making him my Rookie of the Year.

Defensive Player of the Year- Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid isn’t only an offensive superstar, but he’s a force on the defensive end as well. Embiid protected the rim all year for Philadelphia averaging 1.9 blocks per game. Joel makes an effort to block everything and even puts his body on the line to reject shots, often scaring Sixers fans. Even when he isn’t blocking shots, he is still altering shots with his presence. Embiid’s perimeter defense isn’t the best, but it’s still solid; however, his lock down interior defense is what should earn him the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Sixth Man of the Year- Lou Williams

Lou Williams is the obvious choice for Sixth Man of the year and everyone in the NBA will tell you that. Year after year, Williams provides a major spark off the bench for his team. This season Lou averaged 20 points a game to go along with 5.4 assists which helped the Clippers sneak into the 8 seed of the playoffs. Williams ability to come off the bench hot and consistently carry his team, especially late in games, made him the heart and soul of the Clippers.

Most Improved Player- Pascal Siakam

A lot of basketball fans didn’t know who Siakam was last year and some still don’t know, but he is making a name for himself in Toronto. Siakam improved drastically after dedicating his whole summer to working on his game. Pascal averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds last year; now he averages 16.9 points a game and 6.9 rebounds. This success combined with the addition of Kawhi Leonard has made the Raptors dangerous this season. Although, D’Angelo Russell also got a lot better from last season, Siakam deserves the Most Improved Player award.

Coach of the Year-Doc Rivers

Rivers is a dark horse candidate for this award considering his team finished 8th in the West. However, I believe the Clippers finishing 8th is very impressive and shows how good of a coach Doc Rivers really is. The team lost their best player, Tobias Harris, at the trade deadline leaving them with no real stars besides Lou Williams. With what he had, Doc brought everyone together and snuck into the last spot of the playoffs to prove the Clippers are the best team in Los Angeles.