NBA 2023-2024 Season Award Predictions

By Rohan Patel

Who should take home this year’s honors?

The 2023-24 NBA season has been memorable. From all of the eye-popping moments such as Max Strus’ half-court buzzer beater to incredible performances like Luka Doncic scoring 73 points against the Hawks, this year has been filled with ridiculous moments displayed by spectacular players. However, with awards like the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year still in play, it’s fun to take a look back at the regular season and see who deserves each award.

Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama (SAS)

Safe to say that the Spurs phenom has lived up to all the hype, averaging 21 points per game.

Let’s get the most obvious award out of the way - Rookie of the Year. Towards the beginning of the year, this award found itself in a two-man race between Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Wembanyama. However, with Holmgren’s production decreasing as the year continues, and Wembanyama only getting better, the award is basically a lock now. Before the year, Victor was already viewed as a one of a kind type prospect, and he has not disappointed. With stats such as becoming the first player in NBA history to record 150 assists, 150 blocks, and 75 made three-pointers and leading the league in stocks (steals + blocks) as a rookie, Spurs fans should be ecstatic for the future. His incredible rookie season can be summarized by his ridiculous performance against the Denver Nuggets, where he scored 17 points in just three minutes to cap off a 23-point comeback for the Spurs. Doing this against an MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic solidified himself as the Rookie of the Year.

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert (MIN)

The 3x Defensive Player of the Year is on his way to earning another one this year.

When discussing the Defensive Play of the Year (DPOY) award, yes, numbers like steals and blocks are important and should be considered. However, team defense is far more critical when determining the most impactful defender. This is the crucial reason for Gobert’s three DPOYs in the past five years. This year, the Timberwolves, who are the third seed, own the best defensive rating in the league, which is a trend wherever Gobert plays. In his Defensive Player of the Year seasons (2018, 2019, and 2021), Gobert’s team, the Utah Jazz, owned a top-4 defensive rating in the league each year. Gobert leading such a solid unit also speaks volumes about the Timberwolves’ improvement. When Gobert got shipped from Utah in 2022, the media claimed that the Jazz fleeced the Wolves, and it seemed to prove true with Minnesota barely making the playoffs in the following year. However, in the present their defense has catapulted them to the top of the West, only falling one game short of the one seed.

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)

The Thunder guard has led this team to new heights while averaging 30 points per game.

The most important award in the NBA, the Most Valuable Player award (MVP), has the most crowded race this year. Though the options of Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum were enticing, Shai somehow feels like he is the most deserving. Though the distinction of MVP has a lot of different meanings to different people, it mostly comes down to being the best player on the best team, along with the best player stats-wise. Therefore, because Shai fits these criteria, he deserves to be MVP. While most pundits had the Thunder as no more than a 5 seed this year, Shai has led this team to a new level, getting the Thunder to the one seed in the West since 2012-13. While winning games, Shai also managed to become just the fifth player to have fifty or more 30-point games in a single season. The others who accomplished this feat? Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and James Harden. Leading his team to wins, while putting up mind-boggling numbers should earn him the MVP in my eyes.