2025 NBA awards predictions: Razor thin race for MVP

With nan NBA regular play ending Sunday, The Post’s NBA writers prime their grant winners. Here we go: 

MVP 

Stefan Bondy: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets. Toss-up pinch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Jokic doesn’t person astir arsenic overmuch thief and is ***** averaging ***** a 30-point triple-double. 

Brian Lewis: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder. The Oklahoma City defender unseats Jokic, who has won 3 of nan past 4 awards, by starring nan convention successful scoring and nan Thunder to nan apical of nan standings. 

Mike Vaccaro: Jokic. It’s truthful razor bladed betwixt successful and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but I support asking myself: Whose squad would implode without them? To me, that clinched it for Jokic. 

Defensive Player of nan Year

Bondy: Amen Thompson, Rockets. Just a (seed) disease and nan No. 1 logic nan Rockets person transformed into a top-five protect team. 

Lewis: Evan Mobley, Cavaliers. Draymond Green was immense for Golden State and is openly campaigning, but Mobley’s 1.6 blocks, 0.9 steals and yearlong consistency for Cleveland is excessively awesome to ignore. 

Vaccaro: Mobley. In different too-close-to-call pinch Green, this 1 goes to nan subordinate connected nan amended squad (since it can’t spell to Victor Wembanyama). 

Coach of nan Year

Bondy: Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers. An easy vote. Anybody reasoning astir giving nan motion to J.B. Bickerstaff should see this: Atkinson took complete nan aforesaid roster Bickerstaff had past play and made it demonstrably better. 

Lewis: Atkinson. The Long Islander sewage fired by Brooklyn, wisely avoided nan Charlotte dumpster occurrence and now successful his first twelvemonth successful Cleveland has guided nan Cavs to nan champion grounds successful nan East. 

Vaccaro: Atkinson. And this 1 would beryllium a runaway prime except, ironically, for nan man Atkinson replaced, J.B. Bickerstaff, who’s done an astonishing occupation reviving Detroit. 

Rookie of nan Year

Bondy: Stephon Castle, Spurs. Tops nan underwhelming 2025 rookie class, but his spotty 3-point shooting has to amended to make it to nan adjacent level. 

Lewis: Castle. His activity aft Wembanyama’s humor clot puts him intelligibly atop a mediocre rookie people that includes Zaccharie Risacher and Zach Edey. 

Vaccaro: Castle. He’ll win his teammate, Wembanyama, and nan 2 of them will commencement to springiness nan remainder of nan convention fits opening adjacent year. 

Sixth Man of nan Year

Bondy: Malik Beasley, Pistons. Became large portion of Detroit’s resurrection this play pinch his elite 3-point shooting. 

Lewis: Payton Pritchard, Celtics. There were plentifulness of candidates from Beasley to Russell Westbrook, but Pritchard’s career-high 13.9 points connected 40.6 percent from heavy wins out. 

Vaccaro: Beasley. This is simply a losing ballot because it seems a fixed that Pritchard is going to get it, but Beasley has been arsenic captious arsenic anyone successful rejuvenating Motown. 

Most Improved Player

Bondy: Dyson Daniels, Hawks. The silliest of NBA postseason awards goes to Atlanta’s apical perimeter defender, who has nan task of covering up Trae Young’s deficiencies successful that area. 

Lewis: Daniels. Going into Friday, he’d astir tripled his scoring to 14.3 points, and was averaging 5.8 boards, 4.3 assists and a league-best 3 steals. 

Vaccaro: Cade Cunningham, Pistons. Cunningham has taken a measurement up successful levels arsenic a player, and arsenic a consequence nan Pistons person jumped up aggregate levels — from wreckage correct complete respectable correct complete play-in squad to playoff participant. And possibly more.