The 5 great NBA prizes have already been announced

Over the course of the weekend, the NBA announced that they already have a shortlist of finalists for several of their most prestigious awards, including: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year. NBA, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. Here at LatinAmerican Post we tell you who the candidates are and what are our personal favorites to win the award.

Most valuable Player

The nominees are:
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• James Harden, Houston Rockets
• LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Our favorite to win: Giannis Antetokounmpo

It is true that Lebron is one of the best players of all time, but this past season his age has led him to relapse into a guard and support role, as players like Anthony Davis lead their team in points. Harden is indisputably the best offensive player in the league, but his defense is far inferior to that of Giannis, (who is also nominated for defensive player of the year) so the Greek would take this category for being the most balanced player among the three.

Rookie of the Year

The nominees are:
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
• Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

Our Favorite to Win: Ja Morant

While it's true that Zion Williamson is a fan and commentator favorite, his lack of games (just 24 this year) isn't enough to compare him to Ja Morant's 65 , who has simply had more opportunities to showcase his talents. Additionally, Williamson's Pelicans were eliminated from the Playoffs, while Morant's Grizzlies still have a chance to reach the Playoffs if they win their remaining positioning games.

Sixth man of the year

The nominees are:
• Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
• Dennis Schröder, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Lou Williams, LA Clippers

Our Favorite to Win: Lou Williams

Lou Williams is simply the best sixth man in the league. With impressive clutch capacity and having received this award 3 times before, it wouldn't be surprising if he took it back.

Most Improved Player in the NBA

The nominees are:

• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
• Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

Our favorite to win: Luka Dončić

In this category there is no competition, since Luka is achieving historical numbers every time he enters the field. For example, last Saturday he became the youngest player to lead the league in triple-doubles at just 21 years old, beating none other than Magic Johnson. The sky is the limit for this future legend.

Also read: This was the truinfal return of the NBA

Defensive Player of the Year

The nominees are:
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
• Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Our favorite to win: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Even if Giannis doesn't average the blocks per game for Gobert (who has almost 3 per game compared to 1 for the Greek), it is difficult to think that he does not take the award for best defensive player of the year. This time, it wouldn't even have to do with basketball in our opinion. Gobert's image has not yet recovered from the scandal he made when he mocked the coronavirus and giving this award to Giannis would simply be better publicity, since the Greek would be one of the 4 players in the history of the league to win so much MVP. Defensive Player of the Year. The league needs it.

Coach of the year

The nominees:
• Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee Bucks
• Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors

Our Favorite: Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee Bucks

It's simple, the job of a coach is to lead his team to victory and therefore the coach with the most wins is the best of the year. In this case this honor would go to Budenholzer whose Bucks have the best Eastern conference record, with only 15 games lost on the season.