The 2018-19 NBA season gave basketball fans one of the most entertaining MVP battles in recent memory. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rockets guard James Harden made compelling cases for the league's top individual award, but Antetokounmpo ultimately prevailed.
With talent dispersed around the NBA following a chaotic summer, "The Greek Freak" will look to prevent a bevy of challengers from taking the MVP trophy. And that won't be the only race worth watching — nearly every major award should include a number of strong candidates.
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Using Sporting News' 2019-20 season predictions as the backdrop, here's how we see things going down when it's time to hand out the hardware...
MVP pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Antetokounmpo will join some elite company with back-to-back MVP awards. Sure, this might be a boring pick, but Giannis just averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals over a full season as a 24-year-old. It's not unreasonable to expect him to be even better in his second year under coach Mike Budenholzer, and if his 3-point percentage (27.7 for his career) jumps into respectable territory, good luck stopping him.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be firmly in the mix, and Warriors guard Stephen Curry could shatter offensive records with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn and Klay Thompson recovering from ACL surgery. There are also the usual suspects like James Harden, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. They can't be dismissed despite each player's team acquiring a star partner this offseason.
However, Antetokounmpo will stay on top of the MVP mountain as the Bucks surge to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Rookie of the Year pick: Ja Morant, Grizzlies
This should be Zion Williamson's award to lose based on his ridiculous preseason production (23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals per game), but the Pelicans forward is out six to eight weeks following knee surgery. That's already a quarter of the season at minimum. Can he overcome that initial hurdle and stay healthy?
It's certainly possible, but that's time Morant will have to show why he was selected by Memphis right behind Williamson. Morant holds the keys to the Grizzlies' offense. That will mean a lot of turnovers in his rookie season, but Morant should rack up plenty of points and assists along the way.
Coach of the Year pick: Mike Malone, Nuggets
Malone was a top candidate for this award last season after the Nuggets finished with a 54-28 record, good for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind the Warriors. He won't leave any doubt this time around.
There will be no adjustment period in Denver, as Malone has the benefit of coaching a largely unchanged roster. Offseason addition Jerami Grant should fit nicely with Jokic and Paul Millsap in the frontcourt, and last year's set of perimeter players (Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Monte Morris, Malik Beasley, Will Barton) is still rising.
Throw in the possibility that Michael Porter Jr. could actually hit the floor, and this Denver team is as deep as any in the league. Expect the Nuggets to be near 60 wins under Malone once again.
Defensive Player of the Year pick: Joel Embiid, 76ers
The trash-talking Sixers star will shut down Jazz center Rudy Gobert's attempt at a three-peat by establishing himself as the anchor for one of the NBA's best defenses. Philadelphia dropped to the middle of the pack in terms of defensive rating last season, but a motivated Embiid (and a few new teammates in Al Horford and Josh Richardson) will push the Sixers back into the top five.
Embiid's on-off splits were ridiculous in 2018-19, and that gap only widened during the playoffs (93.0 defensive rating with Embiid on, 120.1 with him off). If that level of impact continues and Philly is a true contender as expected, Embiid will have the inside track to this award.
There will always be questions about Embiid's health and conditioning. That typically would keep the door open for candidates like Gobert, Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, but Embiid will shut down those concerns.
Sixth Man of the Year pick: Lou Williams, Clippers
The pick here seems almost too obvious. That also means it's probably right.
Williams breaks his tie with three-time winner Jamal Crawford and takes home his fourth Sixth Man award. Just name it after him.
Most Improved player pick: Bam Adebayo, Heat
By trading Hassan Whiteside to the Trail Blazers, the Heat cleared the way for Adebayo to be the center of the future. After averaging 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game off the bench, expect Adebayo to be a nightly double-double threat.
Adebayo should have a little more freedom offensively to showcase his expanding skillset, and he could end up on an All-Defensive Team. Don't believe it? Check out his work against some of the NBA's best offensive players. This guy is the real deal.
By popular demand, Bam Adebayo vs. Butler, LeBron and Curry.
— Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) December 4, 2017
More to defense than these isolated events, but they sure are some impressive flashes for a rookie center. pic.twitter.com/3fFSWS8uog
