With the 2025 NBA regular season over, let’s take a look at each of the awards to be handed out and pick my winner.

Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle

In what was said before the season even started was a weak draft class, Stephon Castle has stood out from the pack.
The fourth overall pick played all but two of San Antonio’s matches and put up numbers of 14.6 points, 3.6 boards and 4.1 assists shooting 43% from the field.

First overall pick Zaccharie Risacher shouldn’t be close behind him, putting up 12.6 points on slightly better efficiency, but I expect Castle to have the backing of the voters meaning a Spur will take out rookie of the year honours for a second year running.

Jared McCain can count himself unlucky, if it weren’t for the torn meniscus he suffered early in the season making him ineligible for awards I think it would be the Sixers youngster’s to lose.

Most Improved Player: Cade Cunningham

You could almost put each member of the Detroit Pistons up for this award and still be in with a shot of being correct.
Cade has taken the All-Star leap this season, going from averaging a respectable 22.7 points per game last season to 26.1 to go along with 9.1 assists this season.

The first time All-Star led his Pistons side to a playoff berth after finishing last season with the worst record in the league.

Perhaps the only knock on his game is the turnovers, he’s averaging 4.4 per game this season. But when you’re putting up 26 and 9, we can turn somewhat of a blind eye to that.

Cade Cunningham. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green

From what was going to be perhaps the biggest one horse race to Defensive Player of the Year to a complete toss-up, Victor Wembanyama was a lock to win this award until he was shut down for the season just after the All-Star break with blood clots in his shoulder.

As much as I’d love to see Aussie Dyson Daniels win this award, the voter’s history of massively favouring big men doesn’t bode well for the Great Barrier Thief.

Cleveland’s Evan Mobley has also been heavily favoured to win, but Green and the Warriors have been putting a strong case forward for the four-time champ to get his second DPOY nod.

Averaging 2.5 stocks Green’s stats aren’t as impressive as some of his rivals, but his importance to the Golden State defence can’t be understated.

Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson

Missing the last 15 games of the regular season could hurt his case, but before that Brunson had been leading the Clutch Player of the Year race for most of the way.

In 28 games with clutch time (last five minutes with teams within five points of each other) played, the Knicks guard scored 156 points during these periods, leading them to 17 wins.

Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers)

The Coach of the Year race has pretty much been contested by three coaches all season. Mark Daigneault of the OKC Thunder and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons will also be in consideration, but I believe Atkinson’s work in his first year at the helm of the Cavs is too much to pass up on.

Taking Cleveland from a 48-34 fourth seed in 2024 to 68-14 and strong contenders to come out of the East in 2025 should not be ignored. Daigneault and Bickerstaff would also be deserving winners but both for different reasons.

Daigneault has coached his Thunder side to a second consecutive first seed in a strong Western Conference, while Bickerstaff has helped his Pistons side improve by 30 wins from a league worst 14-68 record to sitting pretty in the sixth seed at 44-38.

And a shoutout to JJ Redick, the first year coach has exceeded expectations with the Lakers and I think they’ll make a splash come playoff time.

MVP: Nikola Jokic

Let me start by saying despite Jokic being my pick, I think Gilgeous-Alexander will pip him to the award.

I think you could pick either Nikola Jokic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP and you’d be right.

Both have had outstanding seasons but both for different reasons and ultimately it comes down to what you define the Most Valuable Player as.

Is it the best player on the best team, who without him would still be a good team but probably not a 60 plus win team, or is it the statistical monster who without him his team would be one of the worst in the league?

In maybe one of the tightest MVP races of all time, I think Nikola Jokic should be the winner. The Serbian is the first centre to average a triple-double, (which was enough for Russell Westbrook to be given an MVP nod back in 2017) and is in the top three scorers, rebounders and assisters in the league.

Play like this from a big man is almost unheard of and Jokic is undoubtedly the best player in the world.

In saying all this, narrative plays a huge role in the MVP race and voter fatigue is a real thing, so despite him being the best player in the world and MVP in my eyes, I don’t think the media give the nod to the Joker.