The 2016-17 NBA season is underway and while Kevin Durant’s presence with the Golden State Warriors has dominated the headlines there is a lot more to talk about in terms of the bigger picture. Durant’s move to the Warriors might very well mean that neither he nor Stephen Curry will be eligible to win MVP playing on the same team. Who will step up as this year’s NBA MVP? Who is next in line to win Rookie of the Year? Here is a look at our predictions for the 2016-17 NBA award winners.
MVP – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
Durant and Curry could very well dominate the media spotlight from start to finish this season but considering they both play on the same team now it will be difficult for one of them to win the MVP award. LeBron James has shifted his focus almost completely to preserving his body for another championship run and the media tends to overlook his greatness to a certain degree anyways because he has dominated year after year. That leaves Westbrook as perhaps the perfect candidate for MVP this season as he is now clearly the main man in Oklahoma City. There has been a lot of talk about how the Thunder will fare without Durant so if Westbrook can at least maintain his production from a year ago while leading Oklahoma City back to the playoffs then he could emerge as this year’s MVP winner.
Defensive Player Of The Year – Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert will definitely be in the conversation for this award but it will be hard for the voters to overlook Leonard, especially if San Antonio challenges for the best record in the NBA. Leonard won the DPOY award each of the last two years and he certainly made a statement in the Spurs’ opener when he scored 35 points with five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Leonard has consistently dominated at the defensive end of the floor over the past couple of years and at 25-years-old he should continue to excel in the prime of his career.
Sixth Man Of The Year – Brandon Knight, Phoenix Suns
Phoenix is very deep at the guard positions with Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe and Leandro Barbosa joining Knight. Booker and Bledsoe are projected to start but it will be hard to keep Knight off the floor. The 2011 first round pick was limited by injuries a year ago but still averaged 19.6 points per game in 52 appearances. Knight should perform at a high level once again in 2016-17 and he should be among the favorites to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Coach Of The Year – Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves finished last season with a 29-53 record but they showed flashes of their immense potential with the past two consecutive Rookie of the Year award winners leading the way in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Towns has already established himself as one of the dominant big men in the NBA while Wiggins is coming in to his own as a rising star at the small forward position. Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Shabazz Muhammad help make up an intriguing young core that is certainly loaded with talent and it will be on Thibodeau to maximize their potential. Minnesota could be primed to challenge for a playoff spot in the Western Conference this season and if they do clinch a postseason spot then Thibodeau will be a strong candidate for Coach of the Year.
Rookie Of The Year – Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
All of the talk about Embiid’s potential came to the forefront on Wednesday night when he made his regular season debut in a 103-97 loss to the Thunder. The third-overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft scored 20 points with seven rebounds and two blocks in just 22 minutes of action and there is a good chance his minutes will be even higher in better matchups. Embiid has already shown he has the potential to put up high volume production in short periods of time and if he can stay healthy and perform at a high level throughout the year it might be enough for him to edge out Kris Dunn of the Minnesota Timberwolves as the NBA Rookie of the Year award winner.
