USA Today invited 32 NBA reporters to vote for this season's major awards, Joel Embiid was elected MVP, Rudy Gobert overpowered "Alphabet Brother" Antetokounmpo as the best defensive player, and Ja Morant was elected as the fastest improving player.
In the MVP selection, Embiid received 20 first-place votes, ranking first with the highest number of votes. He overpowered Jokic and Antetokounmpo. In 4th place is DeRozan, Morant is in 5th place, and early season hit Stephen Curry didn't make it into the top 5, he was in 6th place.
The judges believe that Embiid has performed well on both ends of the road this season, especially without Ben Simmons around him. The next suspense is whether Embiid can maintain his previous strength after James Harden joins.
Before Draymond Green was injured, he was the biggest favorite for the Best Defensive Player award, after all, his personal performance was outstanding, and the Warriors were no. 1 in the defensive league. But with Green missing a lot of games, he's not the biggest favourite now. Gobert received 13 first-place votes and ranked 1st overall, with Antetokounmpo in 2nd place and Green in 3rd place.
The judges believe that in the final sprint stage, the attribution of the best defensive player award will still be variable. Green is expected to return after the All-Star Game, and if the Jazz's record continues to decline, antetokounmpo may overtake Gobert. If Green maintains his attendance and defensive intensity during the sprint, he may not be able to become a big hit again.
The competition for Coach of the Year between Cavaliers coach Bixtaff Jr. and Suns coach Monty Williams, with 12 people giving the first vote to Bixtaff Jr. and 14 to Williams, but Bixtaff Jr. was still slightly higher than Williams in 1st place. Grizzlies coach Jenkins, Bulls coach Donovan and Heat coach Spollstra also received first votes.
There is no suspense in the selection of several other awards, and the players in the first place have a very large advantage.
The battle for the best rookie has largely come to fruition, with Cavaliers interior lineman Ivan Mobly highly likely to be elected, with 29 first-place votes, overshadowing Scotty Barnes and Canning in No. 1. Rockets' Jalan Green didn't even make it to the top 5, with Geddy and Franz Wagner in 4th and 5th places, respectively.
Morant has improved so much this year that 19 judges have given him the first vote for the Fastest Improving Player Award, With Miles Bridges receiving five first-place votes and Darius Garland, Deschentai-Murray and Desmond Bain each receiving two first-place votes.
The best sixth man is basically taylor Hiro's bag, the most hot sixth man, he enjoys unlimited right to fire, the data is gorgeous. In the voting, Hiro got 25 first votes, and Kevin Luck, who ranked second, only got 4 first votes, and Hiro's advantage was very obvious.
Combined with the previous ESPN vote, although Embiid is the MVP favorite, there is still suspense in the attribution of this award. The attribution of the Best Defensive Player Award and the Best Manager is also very suspenseful, and Green's performance after his comeback and the Suns' performance during Chris Paul's absence will be the biggest variables in the attribution of these two awards. As for other awards, there is basically no suspense.