Wembanyama, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jokic selected as MVP contenders
Victor Wembanyama has been named a finalist for this season’s Most Valuable Player award, joining previous winners Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, as announced by the league on Sunday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the current MVP, is posting averages of 31.1 points and 6.6 assists with a shooting percentage of 55, while Wembanyama is contributing 25 points and 11.5 rebounds over 29.2 minutes per game. Jokic, a three-time recipient of the award, is the first player to top the NBA in both assists and rebounds, averaging a triple-double with 27.7 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also in contention for the Clutch Player of the Year award, alongside Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Denver’s Jamal Murray.
Edwards qualifies as a finalist despite not meeting the league’s typical 65-game minimum for award eligibility. The Timberwolves guard was not included on the MVP, All-NBA, and other ballots, but he was nominated for the Clutch award as those selections were made by the league’s coaches.
Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham also did not meet the 65-game threshold but were included on all award ballots after appealing to the league under the “extraordinary circumstances” provision. Although neither made the top three in MVP voting, they are candidates for All-NBA recognition.
Wembanyama, who has led the NBA in blocked shots per game for the third consecutive season, is also a finalistβand the frontrunnerβfor the Defensive Player of the Year award. The other finalists include Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson, who leads the league in steals.
Thompson’s teammate Jalen Duren is a finalist for Most Improved Player, having increased his scoring from 11.8 points last season to 19.5 this season. Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker is also a finalist, having doubled his scoring from last season (9.5 to 20.8). Portland’s Deni Avdija is the third finalist after earning his first All-Star selection while averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.
The finalists for Rookie of the Year are Dallas’ Cooper Flagg, Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, and Philadelphia’s V.J. Edgecombe.
Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson, and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla are the finalists for Coach of the Year.
The winners of the awards will be revealed starting this week prior to the evening’s games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
