NBA 2025–26 Season Awards – Who Will Take Home the Honors?

Who Were the Winners in the 2024-25 Season?

This previous season ended up with a banger of various awards, and it was a fun campaign full of shocking twists and turns for the various awards up for grabs. For starters, Anthony Davis was a major candidate for the MVP award to begin the season, and so was Chet Holmgren. But the finalists? It ended up being between Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with the latter ending up with the MVP after a majestic season that saw the Oklahoma City Thunder reach a franchise high in wins and even ended up with a league title.

The Rookie of the Year Race was also quite the same. Jared McCain was expected to be the runaway winner, with Zach Edey lagging for the award. By the middle of the season, it was already a three-player race between Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jaylen Wells. Castle ended up as the winner, giving the San Antonio Spurs back-to-back ROY winners with Victor Wembanyama winning in the previous year.

NBA 2024-25 Season Individual Award Winners

Speaking of Wemby, he was the prime runner for the Defensive Player of the Year with his massive performances, even leading the league in blocks despite not playing in the second half of the season. Dyson Daniels, Draymond Green, and Evan Mobley were the finalists, with the Cavaliers forward wrapping up his first DPOY trophy by the end of the season.

The Most Improved Player was a no-brainer with both Dyson Daniels and Cade Cunningham running point in the discussions. Ivica Zubac also had a resurgence, mostly in the second half of the season, but it was clear that Dyson Daniels would end up as the final winner of the said category thanks to his impressive leap with the Atlanta Hawks.

On the other hand, Payton Pritchard took home the Sixth Man of the Year award, edging Malik Beasley and Ty Jerome for the award. Jalen Brunson ended as the Clutch Player of the Year over Anthony Edwards and Jokic. And lastly, Kenny Atkinson won the Coach of the Year Award over JB Bickerstaff and Ime Udoka, who all had reasonable cases for the said award.

Who Are the Potential Winners for the 2025-26 Season?

With these in consideration, it is easy to make a prediction when it comes to the actual winners for the same individual awards. On top of that, there’s going to be a lot of consideration as to what there’s expectations are on who will likely repeat, and who would be gunning for a bigger finish coming out of nowhere.

Here are the predictions for the individual awards for the 2025-26 season:

NBA 2025-26 Season Individual Award Winners Predictions

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

More or less, expect SGA to channel his MVP form further as the Thunder seek to come up with a repeat of a championship in the coming season. We all know how Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear in the last two seasons, and it has finally culminated in an MVP finish. With the star barely entering his prime years, it is expected that he will be gunning for more MVPs in the years to come, including this one.

Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

This one is easily a no-brainer. Barring injuries, Cooper Flagg should be able to finish as the Rookie of the Year this season. He is already showing a lot of potential with his basketball IQ, two-way versatility, and maturity with an impressive frame. That says a lot about how Flagg can be a promising performer to look out for, who is also set to be the face of the Dallas Mavericks moving forward, after they moved on from Luka Doncic.

Defensive Player of the Year: Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Before Wemby took flight in the previous season as the main DPOY candidate prior to his injury, it was Chet Holmgren who made the rounds for the DPOY as he kept a promising run to begin the 2024-25 season. For starters, Holmgren was a promising shot blocker in the NBA Finals, and imagine if he plays a full season after making a massive improvement in his defensive schemes.

Most Improved Player: Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets

Amen Thompson is definitely due for a bigger rise in the game after Jalen Green got traded, and this means more minutes for the rising star, and more exposure. He was already showing a lot of potential when he played in Houston’s first playoff series in the post-Harden era, which saw them lose in seven games, but not before realizing that Amen Thompson has a lot of potential to offer in his games, which is why he’s due for a breakout season.

Sixth Man of the Year: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Hear me out – Chris Paul’s return to the Los Angeles Clippers is a run for the championship, and it means a lot as to how it is expected that he will be with an emerging role for a team that already has three stars in James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Kawhi Leonard. Paul coming off the bench for the first time in a long while means that there’s indeed expectations that he will be providing the spark they need to sustain a high level of play in the coming season.

Clutch Player of the Year: Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards is one of the rising stars in the NBA who has a lot to offer in his game. On top of that, there’s plenty of growth for him as he continues to be a better player and leader on the court, which says a lot about his value as a clutch player in the game as well. He was one of the best players on the court so far, especially in coming up with a bucket that would win games in tight clashes. That says a lot about the potential of Edwards possibly ending up as the CPOY by the end of the season.

Coach of the Year: Mike Brown, New York Knicks

Mike Brown was one of the many coaches who got fired in the previous season, and it is without question that his potential improvement on the New York Knicks’ defense will be a huge factor in the long run. On top of that, we have seen how he has led the Sacramento Kings to a brief rise to prominence before he got fired. Now more than ever, it does seem that Brown will be able to make an impact on how they will be a resurgent squad heading into the 2025-26 season.

Will These Picks Translate?

While predicting NBA awards is never an exact science, the projections for the 2025-26 season are built on real momentum, emerging narratives, and situational context surrounding each player and team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks poised to continue his dominance, Cooper Flagg is entering with historic hype, and players like Chet Holmgren and Amen Thompson are primed to take massive leaps in their development. Even veterans like Chris Paul are positioned for impactful roles in their twilight years, while new coaching fits like Mike Brown could inject life into franchises needing direction.

Of course, health, team success, and late-season surges always play a huge role in how these races play out. But if things stay on track, these picks have a strong case to turn into reality. As always, the upcoming season will be filled with twists, surprises, and breakout moments — and that’s exactly what makes the NBA so thrilling to predict.