By Zyria Jessie

With the NBA season around the corner, this NBA preseason has given fans a glimpse of what is to be expected from the 2020-2021 NBA season. With that being said, here are some 2020-2021 NBA season awards predictions.

Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award: Kevin Durant 

RUNNER UPS:

Luka Doncic 

LeBron James

Giannis Antetokounmpo 

Kevin Durant has looked solid in the NBA preseason after coming off an Achilles injury. Considering factors such as Durant now playing in the Eastern Conference, LeBron having a smaller offensive role and voter fatigue with Giannis Antetokounmpo winning back-to-back MVP titles, Kevin Durant is sure to win the award this season. The best-case scenario for Kevin Durant is to have a Dominique Wilkins type of comeback this upcoming season. If he does that, he will be miles ahead of everyone else in the MVP race. He just has to watch out for guys like Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard and James Harden (depending on what team he will officially be a part of).

Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award: Anthony Davis

RUNNER UPS:

Ben Simmons

Bam Adebayo

Giannis Antetokounmpo 

While many NBA fans believed that Anthony Davis should’ve won DPOY over Giannis Antetokounmpo last season, Anthony Davis will undoubtedly win it this year. With the Lakers recently winning the title and making big moves in the offseason, the spotlight will be on the Lakers this upcoming season, and it will be hard to deny that Anthony Davis is the DPOY. Ben Simmons is another great DPOY candidate. Depending on how the Sixers season goes under new coaching, Simmons might be neck and neck with Anthony in this race. Bam Adebayo, who made the All-Defensive 2nd team last year, will improve tremendously in this upcoming season as well. He may even make noise in the MIP award race, but he will be a DPOY finalist. 

Rookie of the Year (ROY) Award: LaMelo Ball

RUNNER UPS:

James Wiseman

Deni Avdija

Isaac Okoro

LaMelo seems to be the most NBA ready player out of all the rookies in his class. He grew up playing against tougher competition and professionals, and that will help him adjust to the NBA quicker. He also has a lot of confidence, which is good for his game and is a natural trait that can’t be taught. Deni Avdija had been constantly compared to Luka Doncic and he had the nicest looking shooting mechanics out of all the rookies. International players are flourishing in the league right now, and Deni Avdija looks like he can be next in line.

Sixth Man of the Year (SMOY) Award: Montrezl Harrel

RUNNER UPS:

Spencer Dinwiddie

Jordan Clarkson 

Danilo Gallinari

Montrezl was amazing for the Clippers last season, and now that he is on the better LA team, and is under the mentorship of LeBron. He will not only be the back-to-back SMOY winner, but his game will take a dramatic leap forward as well. Spencer Dinwiddie has a great chance at winning the award as well. He has always been a solid and reliable player for the Nets, but Montrezl Harrel will be the better contributor to his team next season. After Jordan Clarkson's stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, his role on the Utah Jazz looks like the best situation suitable for his game. Jordan was big off the bench for the Jazz last season and is a perfect candidate for the award this year if he can continue to improve his game.

Most Improved Player (MIP) Award: Christian Wood

RUNNER UPS:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Michael Porter Jr.

Harry Giles

In the last few seasons, Christian Wood has emerged as a solid role player. He previously played in smaller markets like Detroit and New Orleans, so he never really had the spotlight on him. Now that he is a part of the Houston Rockets, he will have a way bigger role and will have a breakout season. Like Wood, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. will have bigger roles than they did last season. Because of that, both players should make noise in the MIP race as well. Harry Giles has dealt with injury and is now a part of the Portland Trailblazers. Unlike Sacramento, Portland is a great team for Harry to develop under. If he doesn’t make a big leap in his game this season, it will happen sooner rather than later.

Coach of the Year (COY) Award: Rick Carlisle

RUNNER UPS:

Brad Stevens

Frank Vogel

Erik Spoelstra

The Dallas Mavericks are going to have a mind-blowing season, and Rick Carlisle will win his second COY award. Rick has always been known as a tough coach, and now that the Mavericks have recently acquired some tough players that fit Rick’s system, he will coach this team to the Western Conference Finals. Brad Stevens is one of the best coaches in the league and made some much-needed adjustments to his Boston Celtics team, but Rick Carlisle will still be the overwhelming favorite in the COY race.

Executive of the Year (EOY) Award: Rob Pelinka

RUNNER UPS:

Daryl Morey

Travis Schlenk

Rafael Stone

Rob Pelinka won this past offseason. He turned Danny Green into Dennis Schroder, signed Montrezl Harrell to mitigate the loss of Dwight Howard, signed Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol, and signed LeBron James and Anthony Davis to huge extensions. Many Championship teams die at the hands of free agency, so it was amazing to see Rob upgrade the Lakers the way that he did. Travis Schlenk made some improvements to the Hawks with the signings of Rajon Rondo, Boban Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn and Danilo Gallinari. Those additions sound good on paper, but they won’t mean much if the Hawks don’t make the playoffs this upcoming season. Rafael Stone stepped up to the plate for the Houston Rockets after the resigning of Daryl Morey. It was exciting to see him trade for John Wall and acquire Demarcus Cousins in free agency, but the biggest questions surrounding the Rockets are whether this team can stay healthy and keep James Harden on the roster or receive a massive haul for the superstar.

Zyria is a sports writer for La Tonique.