The finalists for the NBA’s top six awards honoring top performers for the 2019-20 regular season have been revealed and many of the names expected made the cut. The honors include the NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Improved Player, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA Sixth Man, and the NBA Coach of the Year.
The finalists for the six annual awards, based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, are below:
Most Valuable Player
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
James Harden, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Rookie of the Year
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Most Improved Player
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Defensive Player of the Year
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Sixth Man
Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
Dennis Schröder, Oklahoma City Thunder
Lou Williams, LA Clippers
Coach of the Year
Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee Bucks
Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors
Awards voting was based on games played from the start of the regular season through March 11th and did not include the “seeding games” currently taking place in Orlando.