NBA 2025 Awards: MVP selections, defensive, rookie and others

The finalists of seven important individual awards were announced, including MVP. What superstar did our experts choose?

On Monday, the NBA announced the finalists for its seven main individual awards, including the most valuable player, the rookie of the year and the defensive player of the year.

And after several races were defined until the end of the regular season, and after Roy and Dpoy races were strongly affected by injuries, we asked our NBA experts to make their selections among the three best finalists in the League.

Will the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get, get his first MVP, or could Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, be enough to give the pivot superstar his fourth prize in five seasons?

And after the San Antonio Spurs pivot and second line of the defensive player of the year, Victor Wembanyama, he was forced to miss the rest of the season due to a blood clot on the shoulder, what player, Draymond Green, Evan Mobley or Dyson Daniels, has the advantage of winning the award of this season?

Let’s move on to the selections of our panel, starting with the MVP and ending with the clutch player of the year of the League.

MVP

Finalists

Chris Herring: Gilgeous-Alexander
Bobby Marks: Gilgeous-Alexander
Dave McMenamin: Gilgeous-Alexander
Ramona Shelburne: Gilgeous-Alexander
André Snellings: Jokic
Kevin Pelton: Gilgeous-Alexander
Jeremy Woo: Jokic

Defensive player of the year

Finalists

Chris Herring: Daniels
Bobby Marks: Daniels
Dave McMenamin: Daniels
Ramona Shelburne: Green
André Snellings: Green
Jeremy Woo: MOBLEY

Rookie of the year

Finalists

Chris Herring: Castle
Bobby Marks: Risacher
Dave McMenamin: Castle
Ramona Shelburne: Castle
André Snellings: Castle
Kevin Pelton: Wells
Jeremy Woo: Risacher

Most progress

Finalists

Chris Herring: Zubac
Bobby Marks: Daniels
Dave McMenamin: Zubac
Ramona Shelburne: Zubac
André Snellings: Zubac
Kevin Pelton: Cunningham
Jeremy Woo: Zubac

Sixth man of the year

Finalists

Chris Herring: Pritchard
Bobby Marks: Pritchard
Dave McMenamin: Pritchard
Ramona Shelburne: Beasley
André Snellings: Beasley
Kevin Pelton: Pritchard
Jeremy Woo: Pritchard

Coach of the year

Finalists

Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
JB BickerStaff, Detroit Pistons
IME UDOKA, Houston Rockets

Chris Herring: Atkinson
Bobby Marks: BickerStaff
Dave McMenamin: Atkinson
Ramona Shelburne: BickerStaff
André Snellings: Atkinson
Kevin Pelton: Atkinson
Jeremy Woo: Atkinson

Best ‘Clutch’ player

Finalists

Chris Herring: Brunson
Bobby Marks: Brunson
Dave McMenamin: Jokic
Ramona Shelburne: Edwards
André Snellings: Jokic
Kevin Pelton: Brunson
Jeremy Woo: Brunson