The NBA is already back in action after an abbreviated offseason that included a number of key moves and franchise-altering decisions. To get you prepared for the coming season, Ben Masterson and Matt Harris provided their predictions for the NBA playoffs and season awards.
Playoff Seeding (Including play-in teams)
Eastern Conference
Matt Harris:
Brooklyn Nets
Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat
Boston Celtics
Toronto Raptors
Philadelphia 76ers
Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Orlando Magic
Ben Masterson:
Milwaukee Bucks
Brooklyn Nets
Miami Heat
Philadelphia 76ers
Boston Celtics
Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Orlando Magic
Western Conference
Harris:
Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Lakers
Portland Trailblazers
Los Angeles Clippers
Dallas Mavericks
Utah Jazz
Phoenix Suns
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings
Masterson:
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Utah Jazz
Portland Trailblazers
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Memphis Grizzlies
Most Valuable Player
Harris: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Everyone is hopping on the Luka Doncic train, which is completely fair. He’s a terrific player who’s going to win a couple of these in the near future. However, I’m going with Anthony Davis. Davis is clearly the Lakers' #1 option and should be able to dominate like he did last year—with or without LeBron James on the floor.
Masterson: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
When I’m looking at MVP candidates, I like to find the player with the clearest path to winning this award. And to me, that’s Luka. I expect the Mavericks to finish in the top four in the West this year, and with a very injury-prone Kristaps by his side, that regular-season success would fall almost entirely on Luka.
Most Improved Player
Harris: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets:
MPJ showed flashes of what he can do in the bubble seeding games, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds. The loss of Jerami Grant opens up a spot for him in the starting lineup and he should be a nice third wheel alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Masterson: Christian Wood, Houston Rockets
The Rockets got a steal of a signing when the Detroit Pistons failed to retain Christian Wood this offseason. There are a number of names I could see winning this award (Michael Porter Jr, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), but I believe Christian Wood has such a solid opportunity to show the league what he’s got while being the go-to big man in Houston this season.
Defensive Player of the Year
Harris: Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
I’m doing this solely because I want to see a guard win this award, and with Smart’s athleticism, versatility, and ability to block shots and get steals, I think he has a legitimate chance of winning it.
Masterson: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Bam was the defensive anchor for the Heat last season and has improved his numbers on the defensive end every season in his young career. I expect Bam to take the next step in his development and become the monster that he’s expected to be for the Heat organization.
Coach of the Year
Harris: Mike Malone, Denver Nuggets
With LeBron likely to be missing some games due to rest, that could potentially open the door for the Denver Nuggets to grab a hold of the one seed in the West. Malone is an awesome coach and should be rewarded if the Nuggets continue to do well.
Masterson: Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns
The Suns have positioned themselves nicely to be a legitimate title contender in the coming years with all of the pieces they’ve accumulated, and Williams already received some buzz when the Suns went undefeated in the bubble. I expect the Suns to finish within the top five in the West with the addition of Chris Paul, but they need a good coach to get them there.
Rookie of the Year
Harris: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
This is the chalk pick, but LaMelo Ball will play a lot and should be able to put up good numbers on a bad Charlotte Hornets team.
Masterson: James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors
Wiseman will get a great opportunity to put up big numbers in his first season with the Warriors, and it helps that he’ll have Steph Curry feeding him the ball.
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