The NBA has begun organizing voters for its annual postseason awards, with ballots expected to be submitted soon after the regular season concludes, following the pattern of recent years.
While some award categories appear straightforward for voters to decide, others present more challenging choices. The Defensive Player of the Year seems destined for San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, and the Rookie of the Year contest will likely come down to two Duke alumni – Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel and Dallas’ Cooper Flagg.
However, other competitions remain wide open. The MVP discussion includes compelling arguments for several players: Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Wembanyama, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, and several additional contenders.
The Coach of the Year race presents another crowded field of deserving candidates.
Multiple coaches have built strong cases for recognition. J.B. Bickerstaff appears positioned to lead Detroit – a franchise known for lengthy losing streaks just two seasons ago – to the Eastern Conference’s top seed. In San Antonio, Mitch Johnson is completing his first official full season as head coach (despite handling 77 of 82 games last year) and has the Spurs competing for the Western Conference’s first or second position. Additional consideration should go to Quin Snyder in Atlanta, Charles Lee in Charlotte, Jordan Ott in Phoenix, and Darko Rajakovic.
Boston’s Joe Mazzulla presents another compelling candidate. The Celtics navigated most of this campaign without Jayson Tatum, leading some observers to predict a regression following Tatum’s injury and the exits of key players including Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday. Instead, the Celtics have reached 50 victories once again under Mazzulla’s guidance.
When reporters questioned Mazzulla before Monday’s game about the Coach of the Year award and his potential candidacy, his response was characteristically blunt.
“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla stated. “I think it’s a stupid award.”
This declaration likely eliminates any possibility of the Celtics organization campaigning for Mazzulla’s candidacy. Some franchises actively promote their candidates – Utah memorably created an album cover featuring then-center Rudy Gobert as a jazz musician when promoting his Defensive Player of the Year bid.
Award campaigning has already begun across the league. Wembanyama made his MVP argument following a recent game in Miami, while Spurs teammates are promoting Keldon Johnson for Sixth Man of the Year honors. Johnson’s primary competition appears to be Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.
The National Basketball Players Association recently addressed the 65-game eligibility requirement for most awards, highlighting concerns about Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, whose collapsed lung this month could prevent him from meeting the minimum games needed for All-NBA team consideration.
“We always knew when there’s a line you draw that somebody’s going to fall on the other side of that line,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explained last week. “It may feel unfair in that particular instance. Let’s see what happens at the end of this year.”
While teams have every right to advocate for their personnel to receive awards, Mazzulla’s position demonstrates his focus on objectives far beyond individual recognition.
“You shouldn’t have it,” Mazzulla continued regarding the award. “And it’s more about the players and it’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talked about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play, it’s about them. Staff works their (butt) off. I’m grateful to have ’em.”
Team accomplishments appear to be Mazzulla’s sole priority. While this stance won’t prevent voters from selecting him, it represents a perspective worthy of respect.
