Early 2023-24 NBA Award Predictions

Coach of the Year: Joe Mazulla, Boston Celtics

Potential Record: (#1) 64-18

Joe Mazulla was appointed as the Boston Celtics’ head coach on short notice last season. It was a daunting task since the Celtics were coming off a finals run with high expectations for the next season. He had to settle in fast with this new team, leaving there no room for error. The Boston Celtics finished as the two seed with a record of 57-25 and made it to the conference finals, losing in 7 games to the Miami Heat. However, this year they are hoping for a different finish, with the new addition of Kristaps Porzingis and improving young core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams. Time will tell if Joe Mazulla can live up to expectations and hold together this team.

Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Potential 2023-24 Stats: 22.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.7 spg, 2.1 bpg

The most hyped up rookie since LeBron James in 2003, Victor Wembanyama is a 7’4 big man who can move and shoot like a guard. Teams across the league have been tanking, so they could have a shot at drafting Wembanyama, though he ultimately went 1st overall to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are a team who desperately needed a big man like Wembanyama, which would allow him to flourish at his position. Though he struggled in his Summer League debut, the rookie bounced back with an 27-point game 2, and finished averaging 4 blocks per game. It is expected that Victor Wembanyama will dominate the other rookies this NBA season and maybe even become the 1st rookie All-Star since Blake Griffin.

Sixth Man of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks

Potential 2023-24 Stats: 18.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg

Last year, Immanuel Quickley fell just short of the 6th Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon of the Boston Celtics. This was mainly due to his extremely slow start to the season, but he turned it around towards the end, finishing the season with 14.9 points per game on decent shooting splits. We should see a huge improvement this season now that Quickley has settled into his new role as a 6th man getting consistently high minutes. Unless he gets upgraded to a starting role over Jalen Brunson or RJ Barrett, this should be a highly achievable award for the 24 year old.

Most Improved Player: Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets

Potential 2023-24 Stats: 28.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.8 bpg

Mikal Bridges was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Brooklyn Nets halfway through the season in exchange for Kevin Durant. There he immediately became the number one scoring option, blossoming into a superstar. In 27 games with Brooklyn, Mikal Bridges averaged 26.1 points per game without having time to get much used to his new teammates and staff. This may have just been a teaser from Bridges, whose superstar potential will hopefully come into full effect this next season. Alongside Bridges on the Brooklyn Nets, plays another top candidate for the award, Cam Thomas. One thing is for sure, no matter who ends up receiving this award, the Brooklyn Nets might be the team of the future.

Defensive Player of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Potential 2023-24 Stats: 20.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.8 bpg

Jaren Jackson Jr. began the 2022-23 season injured and missed most of the early season; however, he shocked the world after coming back and having the best year of his life. After averaging a total of 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, and being the only player to average 2-1 defensive stats, Jackson took home his first Defensive Player of the Year award. The same is expected from him next season as he shows no signs on slowing down at just 24 years old. And unless someone has an unexpected breakout season, there aren’t many players quite at the level of Jaren Jackson Jr. defensively.

Most Valuable Player: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Potential 2023-24 Stats: 33.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.9 bpg

Last year, Jayson Tatum had the best year of his life, finishing with 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, while leading his team to a record of 57-25. Jayson Tatum has continuously showed improvement year after year and I doubt this year is going to be any different. The Celtics should and most likely will look to focus more on Jayson Tatum and getting him to take the most shots on the team. Jaylen Brown has proved to be an unreliable second option especially when he’s unable to use his left hand, making the only consistent scoring option to be Jayson Tatum. And with Kristaps Porzingis being added to the team, JT will have another player to fall back on to rack up his assists and have a well-rounded stat sheet. However, in the end it all depends on if he can really be the most valuable player for his team and lead them to the championship that has been slipping through their fingers year after year.