Even though the 2017-2018 season is over, basketball fans still have a lot to look forward to. The draft is on June 21st, and all of July is the remarkably interesting free agency period. One of the most exciting events takes place on June 25th, which is the NBA Awards show. It was just announced that rapper Travis Scott will be performing for the audience that night, and the major award winners will all be announced on the TNT-hosted special. Some voters have already leaked their votes, but there’s no definite way to know yet who’ll take home a trophy. With that being said, here are some predictions as to who the winners are of the 2017-2018 NBA awards.

Most Valuable Player – James Harden

After finishing in second place for voting in both the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 seasons, it’s finally his time to hold up the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. He led the Rockets, undeniably with a decent amount of help from Chris Paul, to 65 regular season wins. Harden led the league in scoring at 30.4 ppg, and nearly averaged a double-double with 8.8 ast. He also held the highest PER this year (29.87), and the second highest VA (Value Added) behind LeBron James. The King has also had a historically unreal season, but at this point it’s what’s expected of him. Obviously it doesn’t really mean much in terms of MVP voting, but Harden even brought Houston within 1 game of the Finals. Either way, he’s been the most valuable asset to any team this year.

Rookie of the Year – Ben Simmons

The case for ROY is a very close one, with Donovan Mitchell trailing behind closely. The Sixers finished with 52 wins, good enough for the Eastern Conference 3rd seed. Just last year they won only 28 games so clearly something, namely a 6’10 point guard from Australia, had a huge impact. Joel Embiid played All-Star basketball as well but Simmons was the team’s leader, and averaged near triple-double numbers. He posted 11 of them, which only trailed Westbrook and LeBron. Putting up 15.8 ppg, 8.1 reb, 8.2 ast, 1.7 stl, and 0.9 blk is more than enough to win Rookie of the Year. Sure, Mitchell averaged more points, but Simmons beat him in nearly every other category and Utah finished with less wins.

Coach of the Year – Dwane Casey

Why Dwane Casey ended up getting fired following the Raptors’ playoff exit is beyond most people, when you consider the fact that they were the 1-seed and won a franchise-high 59 games. Many other coaches can make their case for this award, but Casey was brilliant in his strategies. He wasn’t afraid to use his younger players such as Fred VanVleet, and Toronto’s second-most used lineup was one that consisted of four players less than 25 years old, all with three or less years of NBA experience. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry’s star roles were utilized perfectly, and less impactful players such as Jonas Valenciunas were given less minutes when necessary. Overall, Casey was outstanding in every facet. If the Raptors didn’t have to face LeBron in the playoffs, then their expectations for next year would be higher than ever. Now that the Pistons have landed Casey, things are looking good in the Motor City.

 

Most Improved Player – Victor Oladipo

Oladipo is probably the only winner this year who is clear-cut, with no debate. He was an All-Star for the first time of his career, and posted fantastic numbers. The Pacers’ trade with Oklahoma City originally looked like a huge waste of money for Indiana (think Oladipo’s $84m contract), but at this point, it was the best thing for the franchise. They made the playoffs with 48 wins, nearly toppled LeBron in 7 games, and gained another impressive piece in Domantas Sabonis. Oladipo averaged career-highs in every major category (points, steals, rebounds, assists, blocks), and lead the NBA in steals. His scoring jumped up nearly 8 more points per contest than last year, at 23.1. At just 26 years old, his ceiling is through the roof and he is clearly the most improved player.

Defensive Player of the Year – Anthony Davis

Many people have put Rudy Gobert above Davis for this award, but Davis has been better statistically. Gobert even missed more than a quarter of the year due to injury, but he obviously had an insane defensive season. Despite all of that, Davis still led the NBA in blocks (2.6 per game, 193 overall), and even averaged more steals than Gobert (1.5 to 0.8). He outrebounded Gobert as well, with 0.4 more per game. Defensively, Davis couldn’t be beaten. The Pelicans relied on him as their anchor, and he stepped up right into that role, especially following Demarcus Cousins’ achilles tear that ended his season in January. Joel Embiid also had a great year on the other side of the ball, but Anthony Davis’ was most impressive.

Sixth Man of the Year – Lou Williams

 

Williams put an entire team on his back for an extended period of team, and without him, the Clippers would have had a dreadful season. He led the entire league in total points in January, and if (when) he wins Sixth Man of the Year, his 22.6 ppg will be the second most points averaged ever for a player to take home this trophy. The man single-handedly beat the Warriors back in January, when he also dropped a career-high 50 points. Eric Gordon is a close second, but nobody has been more offensively dominant off the bench then Lou Williams. He won the award back in 2015, and it’ll be no surprise if it’s handed to him again this year.

With the 2018 NBA draft coming up in just over two weeks, the top prospects are starting to truly stand out. There’s an impressively unique amount of talent this year, and the Suns are most certainly going to have a tough choice to make with the 1st overall pick. The order continues as follows: Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers (from Brooklyn via Boston), New York Knicks, and at 10th, the Philadelphia 76ers (from the Lakers via Phoenix). As the draft night approaches, a few trades potentially will be made as well. This year is a special one, so here’s five of the top players to look out for in this year’s draft.

DeAndre Ayton

The big man from Arizona had one of the best college seasons in recent years. He averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 35 games. The freshman is one of the most athletic big men to come along this century, and at just 19 years old his path to stardom is inevitable. He’s got a jump shot, an astonishing 43.5 inch vertical leap, and unstoppable post moves. Ayton was hosted by the Suns for a workout, and following it he said he’d work out for “no one else,” and “I know I’m going number one”. He’s right, and the time until his NBA debut is just ticking down.

Luka Dončić

Dončić is this year’s most decorated draftee, without a doubt. He’s just 19 years old as well, but the 6’8” guard has been playing for Real Madrid since he was 15. His last season was one of the best in all overseas leagues history, and includes the All-EuroLeague First Team, the EuroLeague title, Final Four MVP, and the MVP itself. Dončić’s impressive playmaking and basketball knowledge will certainly aid him in the NBA, and his scoring ability should benefit him as well. Last year, he averaged 14.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 4.5 apg. A perfect fit would be in Dallas, where at the #5 pick he’d be able to grow alongside the other young talents of Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes, and Yogi Ferrell.

Mohamed Bamba

If there’s one guy in the draft who will definitely be a star at the next level, it’s Texas’ Bamba. His physical tools are freakish, considering he’s got a 7’10” wingspan and a 9’6” standing reach. Not many people can get a shot off over him with his size, and the proof is in his 3.7 blocks per game this past year. What’s even more astonishing is that Bamba is going to be probably the fastest player in the NBA, as his ¾ court sprint in just 3.04 seconds. To put that into perspective, Westbrook and John Wall respectively ran theirs at 3.08 and 3.14 seconds. The sky’s the limit if Bamba puts on some more muscle, and he can expect to be a top 5 pick.

Marvin Bagley III

Upon skipping his senior year of high school to enroll at Duke, people knew Bagley was preparing for the NBA. After winning the ACC Player of the Year, the Pete Newell Big Man Award, and being named a consensus All-American first team selection, it’s fair to say his time is now. The left-handed scoring machine averaged 21.2 points per game this year, and his dominant size makes him tough to beat. Bagley shot 61% from the field, one of the highest figures in the country. He can rebound as well, so it’ll be no surprise if his name is called 2nd or 3rd in the draft.

Michael Porter Jr.

Following his insane high school career, Michael Porter Jr. was arguably the biggest prospect of the 2018 draft. A back injury unfortunately derailed his lone season at Mizzou, but Porter reportedly is moving around well at pre-draft workouts and making excellent progress in all facets. At 6’10”, the forward is almost certainly the best scorer in the draft. His mid-range game is very good, and Porter is so big that he can comfortably take most shots from beyond the perimeter. Assuming he stays healthy, it’d be no surprise to see him at the All-Star Game in a few years. Porter is almost definitely a top 10 pick, it’s just undetermined which team has faith that he’ll be able to stay on the court.

The Spurs’ last season was virtually a failure, compared to their normally dominant standards. Their relationship with LaMarcus Aldridge was positively revived after he had a thorough discussion with Gregg Popovich, yet theirs with Kawhi Leonard spiraled downwards. Aldridge’s role as an offensive focal point resurfaced, but with Kawhi playing just eight games throughout the whole season, making the playoffs was a struggle for San Antonio (their first-round exit wasn’t too pretty, either).

On the bright side, Aldridge is locked in through the 2020-2021 season after he signed an extension last year. Kawhi Leonard, though, is entering (potentially) the last season of his contract. In the 2018-2019 season, he’ll be paid $20.1 million with a player option available come summertime.

His injured quad greatly limited him this past season, despite being cleared by the team doctors to play. Kawhi thought otherwise, eventually hiring his own team of independent doctors in New York that seemed to agree with him. He didn’t play a single playoff game, and seemed to struggle just showing up to them. Heck, after the Spurs series loss to the Warriors, Kawhi was spotted at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Their relationship was seemingly stretched out beyond repair, despite Danny Green’s claims that the star wants to stay in Texas. Neither Leonard himself or his party have offered up any telling information or hints regarding his desire, and all the media currently knows is that he’s neglected to be actively communicating with the franchise.

San Antonio has the option to offer him his own extension this summer, which would be a supermax deal worth $219 million over 5 more inevitably dreadful seasons. At this point, they need to offer him up. Their front office has to look around and see what they can get. Remember, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-NBA First Team member is just 26 years old.

The Spurs will need to find a team that can offer an impressive package that’s equatable with Kawhi’s value and at the same time is willing to bet he’ll re-sign with them come free agency. Yet at this point, any trade is better than just losing a great player with no consolation prize. Just remember what Kevin Durant did. It’s fair to say that if Sam Presti knew KD was going to depart from Oklahoma City, he’d have gotten rid of him in a heartbeat. With that being said, there’s one team that fits the requirements – the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles has zero money issues. They’ve got two max contracts available, and using Kawhi for one of them would be brilliant. The Lakers’ young squad would mold perfectly with the two-time All-Star, and they’d all be in their primes at a relatively similar time. Plus, who wouldn’t want to live and be “the guy” in LA?

Also factor in how much the Spurs could get in return, though. With their veterans nearing retirement, they need a breath of fresh air, a jolt of youth on the court. It’s likely that LA would have to offer up a package that includes Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, a draft pick, and almost certainly another player such as Ivaca Zubac or Tyler Ennis. Ingram’s bright future and the amazing rookie campaign of Kyle Kuzma make a deal like that hard to pass up for San Antonio, and the other pieces make it irresistible.

Kawhi Leonard skyrocketed to superstar status in 2016 and 2017, and it wouldn’t be crazy to bet that in 10 years he’ll be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately for the Spurs, he most likely won’t be there. Things just didn’t work out between the two parties, or at least that’s how it seems. Maybe there will be a huge surprise re-signing in San Antonio, but at this point it seems unlikely, so it’d be in General Manager R.C. Buford’s best interest to get in touch with the Lakers.